Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Hah!"

A single voice echoed out in a world devoid of almost anything, merely a blank slate of white engulfing everything around it.

The only thing that existed there was a single building with two sides wings, containing a set of beds, bathing quarters are two giant hourglasses of emerald sand adoring the sides of the building indicating the passage of time, and a young man extending his right arm, his hand closed as beads of sweats roll off his entire body.

His name was Son Goku, a young martial artist that had experienced many kind of adventures ever since he first set out from his home. Currently, he was training by himself in a location known as the Room of Spirit and Time, a place that was able to distort time to the point that a year training within the room translated it to only a day passing outside of it.

It was an incredible way to become stronger, but it came at a cost.

The temperature within the room constantly fluctuated between the very extremes of hot and cold. It was harsh to the point that it became outright inhospitable to anyone staying in it for a period of time. As if conditions weren't unforgiving as they were already, the room itself seemed to have an effect on one's psyche, as one could feel their mind drifting further and further from sanity.

"Man, it's been three weeks already and I still don't feel like I'm getting any stronger," Goku whined as he let out a heavy sigh, having just finished practicing his kata.

If anything, the only thing that improved since he got here was his height, but that wasn't too relevant to his training. So, the simple conclusion in his time here was that it was simply too much for him at his current state. As much as his current mentor, Kami wanted to accelerate his training, the world within the Room of Spirit and Time was more than his body could currently handle.

After all, the main purpose of him coming to train here of all places was to prepare himself to fight Piccolo's new reincarnation, or his son?

Honestly, Goku could not wrap his head too much on the whole thing, but he did know what was important, it was that this new Piccolo was going to be much stronger than the one he fought before.

And that fight took everything he had just to clutch out a victory, so it was no wonder that his mentor wanted to try this method to ensure a higher chance at victory as Kami believed that at his current pace, there was no guarantee in beating the reincarnated Piccolo.

Still, if he continued staying here, then it would be more harmful than beneficial in his training. Thus, Goku believed that it was about time he left as he had more than enough of his fill in this room.

Just as he turned however, Goku's eyes widened in shock as what was formerly a building housing his daily needs, instead there was nothing but pure blanks of white.

Goku was sure his mind was still relatively sound so he couldn't have begun hallucinating, could he?

He surveyed the surrounding area, making sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, but no matter where or how long he looked at it, there was still nothing there. The wheels in Goku's head began to turn, trying to think of a way out of his current situation. But just as he did, his mind slowly but surely became heavier and heavier...

He could feel not only his head beginning to spin, but his entire body becoming too burdensome for him to even carry on. He tried shaking it off, but it was to no avail.

It was a struggle to even stay awake at this point...

Unable to take it anymore, Goku blanked out as he fell to the ground, with the last sight that he saw was nothing but the white void surrounding him.

Teyvat.

It was a world where the seven elements flow and converge, with seven nations residing in it, each one governed by their respective archons.

One of those nations was Inazuma, or what was currently known as the land of eternity. Inazuma was an archipelago consisting of various islands, with its people worshiping their Archon, Raiden Shogun who also happened to be the leader of its governing body.

Amongst those islands however, there was an exception to that notion, for they did not worship the Raiden Shogun, but to another God that had long since passed.

It was known as Watatsumi Island, an island that was located the farthest from the most prosperous area of Inazuma. It distinguished itself from the other islands, with its dense foliage that was different from anywhere else.

Because of this, the residents of this island possessed its own unique culture and customs, and leadership in regards to Watatsumi island's affairs falls to the Sangonomiya Clan, one of the major noble clans of Inazuma that does not have any known positions in the Shogunate towards the ruling of Inazuma.

The base of operations for this particular clan would be within Sangonomiya Shrine, which was located at the very center of Watatsumi Island, with the Divine Priestess being the one who tended to the affairs within Watatsumi.

The current Divine Priestess however, was nowhere to be seen within the shrine itself, nor near its vicinity.

In fact, if one searched for her right now, they would have no such luck in finding her, at least...on the surface.

Sangonomiya Kokomi opened her eyes as she took in the atmosphere around her, for she was not on the land above the island. Rather, she was within the ocean depths near Watatsumi Island.

To dive into the ocean itself was but one of the ways for her to relax. One might consider this a strange sight, but for the divine priestess, this was merely a routine that she took from time to time.

She could feel her worries drifting away as a school of fish across her. It was not the first time she had seen such a scenery, yet she found it a splendid sight all the same. This was especially needed considering the present situation that had stagnated for the past six months within Inazuma.

Believing having taken more than enough time for herself, Kokomi began swimming upwards back to the surface of the ocean.

Once she did, she could not help but notice the scenery of the sunset staring right at her, with the clouds taking on the red and orange hues of the setting sun slowly coming together.

Truly, it was beautiful.

At the same time, it also marked the end of daylight, and the beginning of the starry night sky.

Kokomi floated there for a bit, admiring it all once again before finally settling on returning to shore. Just as she turned around however, the edge of her vision caught on to a small bright light shining in the sky right above her.

At first, she thought nothing of it, as stars that illuminate the sky were nothing uncommon in Teyvat, even if earlier than usual.

But the more she observed it, the more...unusual it seemed.

For one, it was blinking. What's more, it was falling directly right at her...at a very fast acceleration.

Quick to react, Kokomi raised her left arm as she manipulated the water around her, using it to shield her from incoming impact. Within mere seconds, the supposed star collided into the ocean, causing gushes of water to explode from the resulting collision.

Despite the waves of water rushing towards her, Kokomi was undeterred as the formation of water she created protected her for the most part. Instead of fearing for her life, she was more focused on what...or who might have just arrived.

She needed to take a closer assessment on the situation, for every little detail was crucial in determining the potential level of threat.

As the water slowly subsided, Kokomi cautiously moved towards the source, her eyes never leaving anything out of sight as she leveled her right arm above the ocean, causing small bubbles of water floating around the area.

Having arrived at the necessary distance, she stopped.

She observed for any signs of movement. If a period of time had passed and nothing occurred, then the source itself had drowned into the depths of the ocean. However, if there was even the slightest hint of movement then...

Something then burst out from the water.

Droplets of water had also begun to fall, probably due to the gigantic impact just now causing the water to be flung into the air.

Even if it was a bit obscured by the momentary rain, she had worked out that it was a silhouette of a person, though only their upper part showing as the rest of them were covered by the water.

Since it was a person, this meant that dialogue was possible between the two of them.

Good. After all, she rather talk than fight. Still, she did not let her guard down as she continued her observation.

From the physique alone, she identified that it was a male that was of similar age to that of hers. It was also clear from his general appearance, that this person had gone through multitudes of battles before, meaning he was possibly a fighter of some sort.

Having said that however, it also seemed that there were several signs of wounds on his person. Whether or not it came due to falling from such heights or something else remained to be seen.

Regardless of that, the mere fact that he was able to survive such a fall was a plain indication of his endurance, along with the capability to move around afterwards...meant that this person still had some reserves of strength left.

She then finally turned to the person's face, and the first thing that stood out was the shape of his hair. It was distinct, in the sense that she had never seen a hairstyle such as this, with spikes growing wildly in uneven length.

Though it was not an impossibility, she was almost certain that the person who just landed was not someone that hailed from Inazuma, so the possibility of him being from the Shogun's Army was slim to none.

Her sight then landed on his face, scrutinizing him as the area around them became clearer as the drops of water stopped.

It was a look of confusion, meaning he too had no idea how he ended up in the waters of Watatsumi Island. Subsequently, she noticed that he was staring right at her, which she was doing the same to him as well.

He blinked.

She also blinked.

He blinked even more after.

The two did not speak for several moments, neither knowing what to say. Just as she finally formed an idea to initiate the conversation, he was the one that spoke first.

She prepared herself, thinking of all sorts of possibilities to follow up on what he could possibly say. She needed to dictate the flow of conversation to ensure the safety of not just her, but for the entirety of Watatsumi Island.

"Hey, aren't you a fish girl...or was it a mermaid? Anyway, I met one of you before but why do you have legs instead of a tail?" he asked, smiling nonchalantly despite the absurdity of it all.

Out of all the possibilities she thought of, this was one she could not have predicted at all. For the first time since she was born, Sangonomiya Kokomi was rendered speechless, her mind coming close to a crawl as she was still trying to comprehend his words.

A blank look now adorned her face, and unknowingly, she tightly gripped her left hand into a knuckle.

Thus, a new chapter in Teyvat had begun.

Chapter Text

The silence lingered on, but finally, Kokomi was able to give a response to his absurd question.

"...That would be incorrect. I'm quite sure I'm as human as you are."

"Ehh, really? Well, if you say so..." Goku answered back, a hint of disbelief at her claim.

Once again, she was reminded that this was not what she had anticipated on how this conversation was going to begin. So, she needed to guide it back to her favor.

"Regardless, may I ask for your name?"

"...Oh right, I'm Son Goku. Nice to meet cha!" he said enthusiastically.

It was a simple, yet straight to the point introduction. Thus, she followed along his pace.

"I am Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island."

He blinked, confused by the term. "Watatsumi? Never heard of any place like that before."

She was a bit surprised, but did not show it outwardly, "Then may I ask where you come from Goku?"

"Well, the last thing I remember was training at the Room of Spirit and Time, which was at the Sanctuary but..." he trailed off, his thoughts trying to remember what had exactly transpired.

Kokomi remained silent, absorbing the information and assessing them in order.

Room of Spirit and Time...it might be a domain of some sort, but the name Sanctuary...there were a few locations that might bear some resemblance to the name.

"And where exactly would this Sanctuary be located?" She inquired, desiring to pinpoint its whereabouts.

"Ahaha, you probably won't find it anywhere on a map. After all, it's up there," he explained as he pointed his right finger to the sky.

She followed along the destination he alluded to, and found herself believing his statement. After all, it would explain how he was dropped into the waters of Watatsumi Island.

To her knowledge however, she could not recall any location within Teyvat that could reach such a height, and certainly not one with such a general name.

Goku continued on, his eyes scanning the sky above him, "It belongs to Kami, but between you and me, I think Mr. Popo cares more about it than he does, since he cleans the place more times than I can count."

God? Judging from the name, alongside the origin of his location, this Kami was presumably not part of the Seven.

It certainly was not an impossibility, yet she believed that there was something that did not seem coherent with the story when she combined her knowledge with Goku's.

"So, I gotta ask. What's with the air around here, everything feels...kinda weird."

Ever since he was dropped into the ocean, there was something unusual in the air. Heck, he could especially feel there was some sort of energy flowing beyond the sea, something deeper.

It was definitely not one that he felt before arriving at the Sanctuary.

Then again, he hadn't quite grasped how to sense ki back then. Now that he had sharpened his senses to the point that he no longer needed to rely on his eyes to fight, he had become more sensitive to living things around him.

But the energy he was feeling right now was off in more than one way.

"Where exactly are we anyway? I don't think I can see Korin Tower anywhere," he asked as he searched around the area.

Now that was definitely not a name she was familiar with.

"Korin Tower? I don't believe I've ever heard of such a place before."

It was certainly not a location within Inazuma, yet once again, she could not recall such a name from the other nations either.

Goku was a bit confused, but then he remembered that not anyone would know of its existence. In order to figure out where exactly was he right now, he needed a general location of where he was so that he had a reference point to use.

He thought hard on the issue, and an idea immediately came into form.

"Have you ever heard of the Tenkaichi Budokai then?"

She shook her head, implying that she had never heard of such a name either.

"Seriously!? But anyone that I ever asked about always knew what it was!"

And that was true. During his travels around the world for the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, he had inquired many people when he was asking directions to the location of the tournament. The ones that did not know of it could be counted on one hand.

And from the way Kokomi spoke, she didn't seem to be lying either. Goku could not help but scratch his head in confusion, as everything he saw seemed to be different to what he knew.

So, what exactly was going on here?

Meanwhile, Kokomi was compiling the details that she was able to glean from Goku's words, as several ideas now floated around in her thoughts.

One possibility was that his mind was not sound, seeing that he had just crashed from such a high place. The fact that he had survived such a fall should already be considered a miracle itself, so a concussion from the resulting impact was not unbelievable.

But just as quickly as she came up with the idea, she dismissed it almost entirely. This was mostly due to her observation on his actions up until now, or rather, his overall demeanor.

Truthfully, he was a bit odd, but Goku did not come off as someone not in his right mind, he instead came off as being aware of his situation, as he himself was rational enough to ask about his current circumstances.

There were other possibilities of course, and just to be sure, she needed to be very obvious in pointing it out.

"Do you perhaps know which nation of Teyvat is it at then?"

"Teyvat? Never heard of that before. Is it me or is something wrong going over here?" Goku repeated, his expression now filled with confusion.

That more than affirms her assumption. There was more than a chance that Goku was simply ignorant in the ways of the world, but she found the evidence for the more fantastical being more convincing.

While Kokomi was busy with her thoughts, Goku on the other hand had closed his eyes in order to enhance his other senses, specifically the one that allows him to hone in on a person's ki.

Concentrating, he tried to track down Kami's ki signature. What with how he had trained under his current mentor for more than two years now, he was more than used to Kami's ki, even if the distance between them was far away.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not sense him, nor even the caretaker Mr. Popo.

Instead, this overwhelming flow of energy had returned, even more than before. He tried disregarding it, but ended up noticing Kokomi's ki instead.

If he were to compare hers to his own ki, then it would not be simple to just say it was night and day.

Rather, it was fundamentally different on every level. His ki was simple yet solid, but hers felt like it was enraptured by something more...formless, resembling water if he had to describe it.

Goku then suddenly put it all together in regards to the situation he found himself in, as this abnormality was more than enough to convince him that he was not back on Earth, rather...

"I'm in another world!?/ Do you perhaps come from another world?" the two announced at the same time.

They both stared at each other, blinking in sync, surprised that the other reached the same conclusion.

"Eh!? You think so too?"

On her part, she did not completely believe in the idea that he was an outsider from Teyvat itself, but the evidence spoke for itself. From his lack of knowledge to the most basic of things , his description of places and names that was nonexistent as far as she could tell.

Looking at them in isolation, the idea that he was from another world was preposterous, but the one fact that ties it all together was how he arrived here.

He had dropped from the sky, which had her initially thought of him as a falling star from above.

Perhaps there was a location high above the skies that she simply did not know about, but for now, she had decided to trust in Goku's story.

"It is...a bit hard to believe, but it is not impossible."

Technically, Enkanomiya too was not considered as a part of Teyvat, so it was not unbelievable to her that there were other worlds out there.

"Hehe, thanks. Still, it's amazing that I'm in another world!" Goku yelled out in excitement as he stretched out both his arms in the air.

...only to immediately find himself sinking into the ocean.

In response, Kokomi swam closer to his location, albeit cautiously just in case this was a ruse to strike her when her guard was lowered.

Goku swam right back up the moment she arrived, splashes of water accompanying him as they fell onto her.

"Sorry, got a little bit excited there." Goku said rather apologetically once he noticed what he had just done.

"It's alright, it makes no difference since we're already in the ocean," she then decided to take the initiative back as she posed another question to him.

"Since we have established that you are a visitor, what are your current plans then? Your sudden visit was not planned, I assume?"

"Yeah...I definitely wasn't planning on going anywhere as far as another world. Right now, I need to figure out a way back," he stated, adopting a serious look.

While it was amazing that he was in an entirely new world, there were still things he needed to take care of in his own world, or more specifically, Piccolo.

The bad thing was that trying to find a way out of here would probably be pretty difficult since he was in a foreign and unknown world, so he would probably need a lot of time to figure everything out.

Good thing he still had a bit of time to do so, probably around almost a year for him before the start of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai.

That would be his deadline.

Kokomi found his response interesting to say the least. While she wanted to inquire more, she presumed that it would be better done in a more private location.

"May I suggest taking a rest at my residence for the night, seeing as it is getting quite dark? We could discuss matters in more detail there."

It was an offer. It was not done on a whim, but one that she had deliberated on ever since the conversation had begun. The conclusion she had arrived at was that Goku was not a threat to the safety of Watatsumi Island, he was simply lost.

"You sure? I was planning on just sleeping outside like I used to."

She nodded her head, signifying that she was fine with the arrangement. After all, she was getting just as much out of this arrangement as he was.

"Thanks Kokomi! Guess we gotta swim out of here first huh?"

"Indeed, but before that however..."

Goku stared in confusion as she placed her left hand on his wounds, where he then noticed the small accessory on her chest started glowing.

Just as he was about to ask about her actions, a sense of relief washed over him.

He stared in wonder as he felt the injuries he accumulated subsiding into nothingness, almost as if he never fell in the first place.

"Woah, that was amazing! What was that?"

It was certainly a first for him to witness someone using energy in such a way. The closest equivalent would be the Senzu bean, but even then, those were not techniques in the slightest.

"How about we discuss it along the way instead? We'll have plenty to talk about."

Goku grinned as an idea popped up in his head, "Since you help me out, guess I gotta pay you back huh?"

Before she could realize what was happening, Kokomi could feel her sense of balance being disrupted as she was suddenly being lifted up from the ocean.

In a single instance, she now found herself being placed on Goku's shoulders, her hands gripping onto them as she sat on his back.

"Since I'm at full strength, let's give it everything I got!" Goku yelled out, his voice full of energy.

In one swift movement, they began moving at high speed, leaving splashes of water in their trail.

Kokomi only had one response, and that was to simply—

"HYAAAAAAH!"

For the second time of the day, she had been completely taken aback once more.

Sand.

A type of land that one Sangonomiya Kokomi was more than acquainted with, given the amount of time she had spent enjoying herself walking on them.

But it certainly was a unique experience to be thrown facing towards it, as a result of her losing her grip on Goku at the last second.

"Didn't think it would surprise you that much," Goku commented, the two having just arrived at shore.

"...It was a first for me, to be carried so suddenly like that."

And that was true. Ever since she was raised to be the Divine Priestess, she had no memories of a person treating her as casually as he did.

She couldn't tell if she liked or disliked it.

Ignoring her internal dilemma, Goku stared at the land before him, "So this is your home huh? I didn't expect it to be this big."

Even his old home in the mountains paled in comparison to the size of this island.

Regaining her composure, she stood up as she patted her robes, dusting the sand off of it.

"Not exactly, the Sangonomiya Shrine is located in the heart of Watatsumi island, so that will be where we are going," she explained.

Thus, the two started following the path, with Goku's eyes wandering to the nearby scenery while Kokomi observed his every little action.

After a few minutes of walking, Goku remembered what he wanted to ask just a few moments ago, "So, how did you heal me back there? I could feel some sort of energy, but not anything that I know of."

So he could sense energy. She noted that down in the back of her mind as she answered him, "It is a part of my Vision, hydro specifically. I merely used its elemental energy to heal your wounds."

"Vision? You mean like seeing things with my eyes?" he questioned, emphasizing his point as he cupped both his eyes.

She shook her head, "A Vision...is considered to be a gift from the Gods themselves. When an individual is deemed worthy, they will receive one in the form of a small gem, hence a Vision. The Vision grants the person control over a certain type of elemental power. You've seen mine, and that is of the hydro element, but it is not the only one out there."

Goku's face lit up in understanding, "Ooh, I get it. So there's probably gonna be other people that can use stuff like fire, or wind right?"

It reminded him of ki in a sense, only that theirs were more refined as they could form the elements on command, while he needed to control the flow of his ki in a certain way to create them.

He could at best replicate the push of strong wind, but not really the others. Thinking about it, he wondered if it was possible for him to do such a thing as well?

"Yes, that would be correct. However, to what criteria one is eligible to obtain a Vision is anyone's guess."

Although it was common belief that a Vision was given by the archons themselves, she personally believed it was something else, though what it actually was eluded her.

"That's neat. Kinda reminds me of how Kami created the dragon balls," he commented offhandedly, stretching his arms over his head.

Although she did not show it outwardly, his casual attitude to the revelations in regards to Visions was a relief. It meant that he had no issues with those that possessed visions.

Still, she was curious about the new term he had just brought up.

"These dragon balls, what exactly—"

"Your Excellency!"

The two stopped at the sudden yell, turning to the source as they just arrived at the fork of the path.

It was a young man, who was standing near a small farm. While the soil was tilled, no crops of any sort were grown there, which certainly piqued Goku's interest.

"Good evening Iwata, how are your crops developing?" Kokomi greeted him without issue as the two moved towards him.

"Not very good, I'm afraid to say. But I'm not willing to call it quits just yet!" he proclaimed, punching his fist in the air.

"There is something I needed I wanted to ask about, Your Excellency..." he said almost unwillingly, shifting awkwardly from one foot to another.

Iwata then finally noticed Goku, who was just staring at the farm that was near their vicinity.

"Huh, who are you supposed to be?"

Instead of answering, Goku walked towards the farm instead, squatting down as he inspected the soil.

Seeing that Goku was strangely focused on something else, she decided that it would be better if she introduced him instead, "His name is Goku and he is a guest of mine, so please treat him amiably."

"Well, if your Excellency says so then sure, no problem."

Iwata then noticed that Goku was now holding the soil in the palm of his right hand, scrutinizing it.

Noticing that his attention was placed elsewhere, Kokomi continued on, "Ahem...Iwata, your question?"

"...Oh right! I was wondering if Your Excellency knows any other types of seeds I could use? The last one turned up to be a dud like usual."

She dwelled on the issue. Truthfully, this was not her area of expertise, nor was she optimistic on growing any sort of crop on Watatsumi Island, especially with its special type of soil.

"Why don't you try using carrot seeds?" Goku spoke up, joining in the conversation.

Iwata raised his eyebrows in confusion, "Why carrot seeds?"

"Well, my grandpa Gohan used to farm a lot. I don't really understand all the things that he did, but I just got a feeling that carrots would work out, you know?"

Iwata could not believe in that kind of flimsy reasoning at all, but an idea was an idea so he took it all the same.

"Haaaa...Why not? As long as it's one that I've never tried before, then I'll give anything a go."

"Along with that, I'll compile a list of possible vegetables that can be grown and send it to you at a later date. Perhaps you might be able to narrow it down to the ones that you have not tried yet."

Yes, she was not optimistic, but it would be remiss of her to turn down a request from one of her people.

"That would help out a lot! Thank you, Your Excellency! Uhh, you too... Goku? I'll be taking my leave now, enjoy your stay at Watatsumi!"

Iwata ran off excitedly, leaving the two alone once again.

"Hey Kokomi, are you someone important or something?" Goku asked out of curiosity.

He didn't think much of it, but after seeing the way Iwata interacted with her, it was kinda obvious that she was well respected at the very least.

"Hmm, why would you say that?" she asked, curious about his reasoning.

"Well, that guy did keep saying Your Excellency a lot. I don't really know what that means, but it sounds pretty important."

So, he was only vaguely aware of her status from the conversation just now, eventhough he did not understand its meaning.

"...As I've said before, I am the Divine Priestess. This means that I generally take care of most matters on Watatsumi Island."

"Eh!? That sounds like a lot of things you gotta handle, and I'm guessing it's not just that guy calling you that long name either huh?"

She did not speak, nor did she respond outwardly, showing neither confirmation nor denial.

Goku however, simply carried on, "Doesn't it get really annoying if it's like that all the time? Ehehe, I think I'll just keep calling you Kokomi instead."

She merely stayed silent before taking a step forward, something of which Goku did not understand, but followed along anyway as they continued on the given path.

Ah. To think that she was caught off guard not just once, not even twice, but three times in total within the span of an hour.

Truly, today was not one she could strategize for at all.

"Ooh, so there's a village here huh?" Goku commented as they had just moved further downwards.

When he saw the island from the sea before, he didn't expect that the size of the island wasn't merely big on the horizontal front, but the vertical front as well. So, suddenly seeing a village out of nowhere just because he didn't look down was certainly a surprise for him.

"Yes, this is Bourou Village. Right now however, most have returned indoors to relax after a long day of hard work."

She would know, since the reason why she picked this exact time to relax in isolation was due to the least possible amount of people out and about.

That said, there were occasionally people still walking around, like Iwata just now. Fortunately, there was no one around at the moment, nothing but the cool breeze accompanying them.

"We still only have a bit before we arrive at the shrine. I'm sure that you can explore more of the village at a later date, if you want."

It was obvious to her that Goku had no issues with interacting with other people, even if they were not quite sure what to make of him. In fact, it almost seemed like he did not care at all about what others thought of him, but that remained to be seen.

"Hehe, I sure hope so. I know I'm supposed to be worried about finding a way home and all, but going to new places always gets me excited."

And apparently very excitable and optimistic.

"Do you...perhaps do this often?" Kokomi commented as she watched his every movement.

"What do you mean?" Goku answered, visibly confused by the question.

Presently, they were walking on a suspension bridge leading up to the Sangonomiya Shrine. Normally, two people would take turns to walk across as the gap was much too narrow for more than one to fit, yet Goku had instead to walk on one of the ropes that held the entire structure. What was more alarming was that even though his weight was clearly leaning on the right side, the bridge did not falter, if at all.

It was almost as if Goku's feet were not even touching the ropes themselves.

She would say she was surprised, but over the course of their interaction, she had unusually come to accept that this was simply the norm for him.

Then again, as someone with a position such as hers, adaptation was a necessity skill to possess.

"Yosh!" Goku shouted gleefully as he jumped onto one of the giant coral structures that were leading up to their destination.

Of course, he could have taken the normal path there, but where was the fun in doing that?

He was in a new world after all, and he definitely didn't want to waste a chance exploring more of it later. It was almost unbelievable how many new things he was experiencing from today alone.

As he jumped onto the final coral, he decided to stop for a bit in order for Kokomi to catch up. Usually, he would just run off to the stairs, but there was something he had wanted to do beside waiting for her.

He then turned, admiring the gigantic scenery in front of him. Sure, he had been to many islands before during his past journeys, but there was none that had so much...bodies of water before.

Rivers...Waterfalls...and especially the huge whirlpool at the very bottom of where he was standing. It was hard to describe, but he felt there was some sort of reason for it being this way, but his train of thought halted as the corner of his eyes caught Kokomi walking towards him.

"You sure took your time huh Kokomi?"

"I wouldn't say that, you were simply faster," she countered back, not missing a beat.

"That kinda means the same thing doesn't it?" he argued back, smiling cheekily.

Kokomi simply walked up the stairs, with Goku doing the same thing. As they passed the torii, they were greeted by a shrine maiden that was standing in the vicinity, as if they had been waiting there for a single purpose.

"Your Excellency, I see you are back from your walk. Is it correct of me to assume that this young man beside you is a guest for tonight?"

"That would be correct. Naki, please prepare dinner enough for two people."

At the mention of food, Goku's stomach let out a long growl, clearly implying his hunger. Goku simply laughed as the other two stared at him, one judging him slightly while the other took it in stride.

"...Make that more than two," Kokomi added.

"It shall be done."

Naki bowed, before moving towards the shrine, presumably going towards the kitchen.

"We'll use one of the guest rooms. After all, we still have matters we need to discuss, correct?"

He would agree, but his stomach said otherwise.

Kokomi lightly placed her chopsticks back on the table, having just finished dinner.

It was nothing extravagant, since she had a small appetite to begin with.

Goku on the other hand, was the exact opposite.

There were bowls upon empty bowls stacked upon his side of the table, and all of them came from minutes of Goku eating them up, something of which had baffled Naki as she couldn't believe anyone would have such a huge appetite.

Right after he had finished eating the dishes in the beginning, he had requested if there were any more as he was clearly not satisfied.

Initially, Kokomi was reluctant to provide more considering their food situation in Watatsumi, but found that it was just about enough to not sink their supply entirely. Naki's judging gaze clearly implied that she did not approve of Goku gorging down their food supply, nor for his lack of etiquette.

It was only fortunate that Goku simply ignored her glare, for he was simply too focused on indulging the food before him.

The sound of chewing dragged on as the martial artist for several more minutes, until he finally let out a satisfied burp upon finishing his meal.

"Ahh man, that was great! Haven't had something that good in a while," he complimented wholeheartedly.

After eating pre-prepared food for almost a month, it was no doubt this was one of the most fulfilling meals he ever had.

Now that dinner had passed, she believed that it was about time that their discussion continued on in regards to a certain matter.

"Have you decided on your current plans in finding a way back to your world?"

"...I don't really know where to start," he confessed.

She nodded her head, expecting his answer, "That's understandable. You've just arrived here, where everything is unknown to you."

"Do you have any ideas Kokomi?" Goku asked, turning to her for help.

"I personally believe that your best chance of acquiring such knowledge would be to head out to Sumeru."

"Sumeru?"

"It is said to be the land of wisdom, knowledge on various matters there are wide and deep, so it is not a stretch to say there would be a way for you to acquire said necessary information."

He perked up, surprised to have found a solution this quick, "Ooh, that sounds great. Guess I'll probably head out after a good night's sleep then."

Just as Goku was about to stand up, Kokomi stopped him as she outstretched her left hand.

"I...do not recommend you immediately heading out."

"Huh, why not?"

It didn't look like a difficult thing for him to do. After all, he's traveled the world once, he could probably do it again considering how much stronger he had gotten since then.

"Right now, you are located in the land of eternity, Inazuma. In order for you to get to Sumeru, you would first need to move across the turbulent waters."

"If it's just the ocean, then I'm fine. I can just swim across it no problem."

"Even if you could, it is not just a simple matter of the high seas. Once you've reached a certain point, you will find a barrier of lightning storms awaiting you."

Yeah, those certainly would hurt him if he was not careful. Adding that he was swimming instead of moving on land, dodging them was not an option. Flying was not an option either, as he's only just begun to grasp that technique and could only use it to the extent of levitating lightly.

"Can't I just wait until it's gone?"

"It is impossible, those thunderstorms are always present, never fading. There is a specific reason why, but...I can't tell you of it just yet."

Goku wanted to ask her reason for keeping it from him, but relented upon seeing her serious expression.

"Even if you could get past the barrier, are you certain your method can ensure you will obtain what you seek out? I've heard before that Sumeru uses...a certain type of resources, one that you would need if you desire to obtain a specific kind of information."

That he also did not know. She sure made it out like this world was more complicated than it needed to be.

She continued on, "If you are to rush in without considerations nor plans, then you would have wasted more time and effort than required."

She...had good points, and he couldn't refute any of them. Sure, he could certainly just give it a go, multiple ones at that and hope for the best, but he couldn't quite afford to make many mistakes right now.

If it was a few years ago, he would have no doubt ignored her warning and just rushed in, but after being repeatedly reprimanded by Kami about his past recklessness, he had learnt to hold it back. Since he didn't know anything about this world, just going ahead without any sort of plan would cost him.

While he had once gone out into the world, the purpose for that one was different compared to traveling in this new one. Back home, he was only focused on becoming stronger, which took him three years to do so. Here, he needed to find a way back under the span of a year.

"I also presume that you are short of time?"

He had never mentioned the duration of time, but she was more than able to infer it from their previous conversations.

"Almost a year, that's about all I have, but even then I ain't too sure of the specifics."

"...I see. I won't ask for the reasons why, seeing as we've just met. Nonetheless, please think hard on what you want to do from now on. I won't stop you if you decide to head out regardless, but understand the consequences if you do."

She then stood up from her seat, walking past him before stopping at the door.

"Naki will bring you to the guest room in a bit, so I'll take my leave for today. I hope you have a good night's sleep, considering today's event."

"Hey Kokomi, why are you helping me so much?"

It was a valid question. He didn't suspect her of anything, nor did he sense any sort of maliciousness. At the same time however, it was kinda weird she was going out of her way to explain a lot of things to him.

"I have my own reasons to do so, and it is not simply out of altruistic reasons."

And with that, she left the room, leaving Goku alone to his own thoughts. That only lasted for a few moments as the door opened once again, revealing to be Naki staring at him in irritation.

"Come along. I'll lead you to your room."

She spoke no more than that, as the two began moving around the shrine. After several minutes of mere silence, they reached their destination.

As Naki opened the door to him, she kept a neutral look as she spoke, "This is advice as a shrine maid of the Sangonomiya Shrine. Do not overstay your welcome, you have already burdened Her Excellency more than enough as it is."

Goku was no stranger to hostility, but this one felt like it was done for someone else's sake, rather than just themselves.

"But I don't remember doing anything that bad...all I did was eat the food here."

Her glare immediately came back in full force, "That is precisely the problem because your appetite is insatiable. Do you have any idea of the food crisis issue we might face on Watatsumi Island if you overstay your welcome here? I know not of your situation, nor do I care. If it were not for Her Excellency, I would—hmph, forget it."

Having said her piece, she immediately left without looking back. Goku merely blinked in response, wondering what that whole rant was about as he entered the room.

It was a traditional room, one that he had never seen before. That wasn't on his mind currently, as his thoughts were still on what Naki just said.

Food crisis? It didn't seem like that would ever happen in his eyes, but then again, he had just arrived today, so of course he didn't know all of the details of this island.

Then there was Kokomi. Certainly, he was grateful for her extending a hand to help, but from the way she phrased it, it seemed like she wanted him to know and not know of what was going on at the same time.

Lastly, the matter of finding a way back home. There was currently a destination, but not one he can reach immediately from the looks of it.

It was all very confusing, and he didn't really do so well on complicated matters.

Hence, instead of overthinking too much on those matters, he decided that he would just tackle them in his own way.

That was what he had settled on before going deep into slumber.

Sangonomiya Kokomi let out a groan as the first light of day startled her from her sleep. She found herself rubbing her eyes, tired despite the deep sleep she had just experienced.

Between the matter of meeting Goku yesterday, reading through the reports she had received from Kannazuka, and writing in her personal book, she had fallen asleep without realizing it, with her head slumped on said book instead of lying on her futon.

After shrugging off the drowsiness, she carefully placed her book in place before beginning any other activity of the day.

Suddenly, she heard a burst of noise from outside her room, which was alarming. Considering the height and position of the Sangonomiya Shrine, it should not have been possible to discern any sound at all unless it was near the vicinity.

She quickly took off, before coming to a stop at the edge of the area of the shrine. Not only was it her, but she was also joined by the other shrine maidens as they too were made aware of the sudden disturbance.

Kokomi squinted her eyes, and saw that there were several figures gathered around at one of the rivers below, alongside baskets near one of them. What stuck out to her however, was that the majority of them seemed to be from the Watatsumi Army judging from the uniforms.

All except for one that was.

Eventhough the distance made it hard to identify the individual, it didn't take her long before she recognize the person as she saw a very distinctive hairstyle.

Truly, her energy level was already decreasing and it was only early in the morning.

Chapter Text

It was only early in the morning that one Son Goku had begun his day by wanting to repay Kokomi for the meal the day before, mostly due to that particular comment from Naki in regards to the food supply on this island, and decided the best way to do so was to fish for food.

He may not have his tail to act as bait anymore, but catching them barehanded was more than easy for someone that had spent his life out in the wild.

At first, he wanted to jump straight from the shrine to one of the river streams below, but decided against it as he remembered that he needed a container of some sort to store said fish.

In order to search for them, he headed out to the village to see if anyone would lend some to him. There, he met an old lady near a small shrine who was more than happy to agree to his request..

Thus, he quickly moved around the island, while taking in the sights as he went along the path.

From the flowing water to the gigantic landscapes, Goku felt at ease as it reminded him of his old home, a place that he had not returned to for some time now.

But there were also occasions that he saw monsters wearing strange masks walking around, and even ones with one eyeball floating just barely above the waters.

He didn't think much of them, as his current goal was just to simply find somewhere to fish, thus he ignored them.

Eventually, he did find a spot, and another, and the ones after that as he continued to catch more and more fish.

Just as he finished his last catch for the day, he sensed that those masked creatures had approached him from behind, with most of them staring at the baskets beside him.

He instinctively knew what they were after, and quickly got into a battle stance.

Upon realizing that the martial artist was aware of their presence, they immediately charged at him with reckless abandon, swinging their clubs wildly in the air.

He did not rush towards them, but observed their movements carefully as he continued standing in the same spot.

And just as they came into his range, Goku struck them precisely in their vitals before they could even get past him.

One...two...three...four...

A single strike was enough for him to take any of them out, and it was a simple matter of reading their movements and countering it in a way they could not react to.

Just as the last one fell, Goku did not lower his guard as he sensed something else approaching.

It was another one of those masked creatures, only this time it was several times bigger in size compared to the ones he just took out.

The monster stomped on the ground, coating itself in some sort of purple aura as lightning courses through its body.

Goku could not understand what exactly was that particular action, but discerned that it was some sort of way to strengthen itself, somewhat like how he used ki to increase his physical strength.

It roared, before hurling itself towards him at a surprising speed for its bulk.

Not that he couldn't have dodged out of the way, but he couldn't afford to. If he did, then the attack would have most definitely ruined the fish that he had gathered.

So, Goku jumped forward as well, responding in kind as he reeled in his right arm, before swinging a right hook intending to hit it in its head.

The two strikes collided, momentarily stopping in mid-air for only but an instant, until Goku eventually overpowered it as he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Hargh!"

The monster was sent flying several meters in the air before crashing back into the ground, a loud thud accompanying it as it landed.

Faster than lightning, but calm as the clouds.

Those were his thoughts as he breathed in the air around him, before he rushed towards the still fallen creature, not intending on giving it even a bit of breathing room to regain its footing.

The monster howled in anger, thrashing about as it proceeded to pound the ground, creating a small burst of thunder blasting off in all directions.

Goku almost effortlessly dodges each and every one of them, easily maneuvering his way around them before reaching his opponent.

He ducked as it swung its broad arms wildly, and kicked it from underneath as it was lifted high up into the air.

Without missing a beat, Goku continued his attack as he reached the same heights and sent a right kick onto the creature, rocketing it into the nearby waters.

He did not check on its condition, merely cupping both his hands as a small burst of bluish energy formed in between them once he landed back on the ground.

Perhaps it was overdoing it, but Goku needed to make sure he was still in top form after being dropped into a new world.

He was able to test out his physical strength through fighting those smaller monsters earlier, and was able to push it even more by fighting the giant one.

So, the only thing left he needed to make certain of was his own ki.

And what better way to do so than using the technique that he was the fondest of, the Kamehameha.

"HAAA!"

He then outstretched both his arms as a beam of light blasted from his open palms, heading straight towards the monster that was struggling to even stand.

Before it could even perceive what was happening, it was pressed further into the waters as the wave pushed it in continuously.

The blast continued on as it sank the monster downwards...until finally, a huge burst of water exploded from the resulting impact underneath the waters.

There was a moment of silence until the beam of light died down, where Goku then focused on his senses to make certain of its fate.

It was done.

Life was to be treasured and protected, or so that was what Kami liked to preach. Eventhough his current mentor often utter that saying, Goku found himself agreeing and disagreeing at that statement.

After all, Kami wanted to get rid of Piccolo, so did that not go against what he was trying to teach?

Before, he did not have an actual concept of life and death. Even after finding it out through his adventures, he did not change much in his ways.

That changed during his current training. While he had no qualms about ending the lives of those that he deemed evil like Piccolo, he had also held more restraint to avoid possibly doing such a thing accidentally.

But there was something that was just...wrong about those monsters he just fought. He could not fight off that sense of uneasiness the entire time he clashed with them.

It was not that they were actual threats to him, rather it was their ki that was throwing them off.

Living and unliving, that was what he felt from them.

Perhaps it was premature, and even contradictory after what he had learned in his training, but his guts told him that what he did just now was the right thing. Even putting aside the whole, the fact that he was attacked for merely fishing showed that they were dangerous.

Whether or not that's true however, he did not know.

What he did know was that whatever happened just now, he accepted the conclusion regardless.

After all, it wasn't the first time he had done such a thing.

Moving on, he surveyed the area, seeing a few cracks and scorch marks on the ground. Luckily, none of them had hit any of the baskets he had brought, which also meant the fish he had caught had not gone to waste.

Just as he was about to carry them however, he noticed a number of figures approaching him once.

The only difference this time was that it was clearly not monsters of any kind, but just people.

From their expressions alone, they did not look happy at all.

Goku laughed awkwardly as he found himself surrounded by several people, each one arming weapons looking ready to strike at any moment.

Honestly, he was not so much worried about his safety, but was more concerned with the baskets full of fish beside him. After all, he had spent a good amount of time catching them and gathering them in said baskets.

Averting one problem only to encounter another, it was honestly...not too weird for him if truth be told.

A man at the front of the group approached him, with one of the things about the man that stuck out to Goku was his mustache, "Who are you? A member of the Shogun's Army here to spy on Watatsumi Island?" he yelled out, pointing a spear towards Goku.

Goku blinked, confused more than anything, "Shogun's Army? I don't see anything like that here?"

The only army he could think of was the Red Ribbon Army, but they had been disbanded a few years already thanks to him, and even if they were still around, there was no way they were here in a new world of all places.

"What's this? Baskets full of fish? I get it now, you're not only a part of the Shogun's Army, but you're a smuggler as well! That's why there was a loud explosion just now, you were blasting the waters to gather them in bulk! This way, you get to cut off our food supply!" He accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You sure like to think up whatever you like huh?" Goku remarked nonchalantly, not particularly concerned about the hostility being emanated.

He took a glance at the others behind, and found their expressions to be varied. There was one who seemed to be reluctant in regards to this confrontation, another that seemed to be hiding their anger from showing, but was very obvious about it.

"Silence! Come with us quietly...or we do this the hard way," he said, as the others gripped their weapons tightly, trying to intimidate the martial artist.

"Oh come on, you guys gotta believe I'm not from this Shogun's Army. You probably don't know me because I've only just arrived yesterday. You can ask Kokomi about it if you want?"

The utterance of her name had an immediate effect on the man's mood, "So now you're slandering Her Excellency? What fools do you take us for? That's it. Men, apprehend him. If he resists, show no mercy."

Upon hearing the command, two of them moved slowly towards him from both sides, their spears at the ready.

The instant Goku moved, spears from two seperate directions came at him.

He casually dodge them as he picked up one of the baskets with his teeth, and then jumped backwards, gaining some distance between them.

"You guys are gonna mess up the fish if you keep this up," he managed to say somewhat clearly despite biting into the rope, annoyed at their attempt to capture him.

Several seconds right after, the sound of empty strikes echoed through the air, with Goku dodging them left and right.

Goku laughed awkwardly as he found himself surrounded by several people, each one arming weapons looking ready to strike at any moment.

Honestly, he was not so much worried about his safety, but was more concerned with the baskets full of fish beside him. After all, he had spent a good amount of time catching them and gathering them in said baskets.

Averting one problem only to encounter another, it was honestly...not too weird for him if truth be told.

A man at the front of the group approached him, with one of the things about the man that stuck out to Goku was his mustache, "Who are you? A member of the Shogun's Army here to spy on Watatsumi Island?" he yelled out, pointing a spear towards Goku.

Goku blinked, confused more than anything, "Shogun's Army? I don't see anything like that here?"

The only army he could think of was the Red Ribbon Army, but they had been disbanded a few years already thanks to him, and even if they were still around, there was no way they were here in a new world of all places.

"What's this? Baskets full of fish? I get it now, you're not only a part of the Shogun's Army, but you're a smuggler as well! That's why there was a loud explosion just now, you were blasting the waters to gather them in bulk! This way, you get to cut off our food supply!" He accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You sure like to think up whatever you like huh?" Goku remarked nonchalantly, not particularly concerned about the hostility being emanated.

He took a glance at the others behind, and found their expressions to be varied. There was one who seemed to be reluctant in regards to this confrontation, another that seemed to be hiding their anger from showing, but was very obvious about it.

"Silence! Come with us quietly...or we do this the hard way," he said, as the others gripped their weapons tightly, trying to intimidate the martial artist.

"Oh come on, you guys gotta believe I'm not from this Shogun's Army. You probably don't know me because I've only just arrived yesterday. You can ask Kokomi about it if you want?"

The utterance of her name had an immediate effect on the man's mood, "So now you're slandering Her Excellency? What fools do you take us for? That's it. Men, apprehend him. If he resists, show no mercy."

Upon hearing the command, two of them moved slowly towards him from both sides, their spears at the ready.

The instant Goku moved, spears from two seperate directions came at him.

He casually dodge them as he picked up one of the baskets with his teeth, and then jumped backwards, gaining some distance between them.

"You guys are gonna mess up the fish if you keep this up," he managed to say somewhat clearly despite biting into the rope, annoyed at their attempt to capture him.

Several seconds right after, the sound of empty strikes echoed through the air, with Goku dodging them left and right.

Sangonomiya Kokomi ran as fast as she could upon realizing the situation that was about to occur.

Knowing the Resistance members stationed on this island, they would most definitely be quick to draw conclusions.

In most cases, this would not be a bad disposition to possess, as a lot of visitors in the past had been shown to have less than good intentions towards Watatsumi Island.

But that only applied in most situations, which this one was most certainly not..

Upon reaching the area, she observed the situation and quickly found out that it was already devolving, with one side attacking another.

As Kokomi continued moving onwards, she controlled the water in the river as she flicked a fish-shaped projectile into the air, sending it in between both sides.

The men were distracted by the sudden disruption, only to find out who had stopped them.

"Stand down," she stated in her most commanding voice.

Instead of heeding her words, they believed that the Divine Priestess was instead referring to the intruder.

"Ah, Your Excellency. We were just about to apprehend this spy, for not only infiltrating Watatsumi Island, but also for attempting to cut off our food supply and slandering your name."

So, that was the line of reasoning they had created. She supposed that it could be a possibility if one was to look at it from an angle, but there were far too many holes for it to even remotely hold water.

"Daisuke, as much I appreciate your vigilance in ensuring the safety of Watatsumi Island, no doubt because General Gorou had entrusted everyone's safety to you. However, Son Goku is nothing more but a personal guest of mine."

Her words had an instant effect on them.

"...so, what he was saying was true then?" the one known as Daisuke asked, still trying to comprehend her words, believing that he had misheard.

"I don't know the exact conversation you had, but yes, there are no mistakes in regards to his stay here at Watatsumi Island."

A firm affirmation from their leader did just the trick, as many of them slowly but surely put down their weapons, with some of them avoiding the martial artist's blinking stare

"Goku, as the Divine Priestess, I would like to extend my apologies in regards to your current treatment. Though they did not know of your situation, it is still on me that I did not inform them beforehand."

Truly, for as much as she tried, there were still areas she lacked in terms of leadership.

Perhaps it was because she herself had no desire for such a position in the first place?

"You're making it like it's a huge deal. It's fine, don't mind it so much Kokomi," Goku said, laughing it off.

"No, Her Excellency is right. I was too rash in my assumption, and I would like to apologize to you for making such a foolish decision. You may resent me, I deserve it, but please give the men behind me another chance, they only acted on my command."

"Like I said before, you really like going ahead and making stuff up huh? There's really nothing to say sorry about...I mean, what's there to forgive if you've done nothing wrong in the first place?"

He then glanced at the others around Daisuke, giving them the biggest grin he could muster.

"After all, you were just protecting what's important to you right?"

There was stunned silence all around, none of them able to form a single sentence hearing such pure honesty.

Daisuke was the first to speak, "Thank you...for your understanding and I promise I'll strive to be better, not just for myself, but for Watatsumi!"

"Well, if you wanna become better, you mind taking these to Kokomi's place?" he asked them, pointing towards the baskets.

"...Goku, were you out here fishing this entire morning until now just for that?"

Goku scratched the back of his head, "Ah well, I figured I ought to repay you for yesterday, you know?"

Strange. She did not show any outward displeasure during dinner with him yesterday, so there should have been no reason for Goku to return such a gesture.

There was a good chance that Naki had something to do with this, considering how obvious her initial impression of him was.

It was a topic that she needed to have a discussion with Naki at a later time.

Daisuke nodded in admiration, "So that was what you were doing, I pegged you all wrong. In that case, we're more than happy to."

In the midst of chaos, there is opportunity. Certainly, she saw it as a chance to turn this to a more beneficial result than just for her personal comfort.

"Rather than the shrine, distribute half of these to the village instead. After that, send the rest to the front lines, Daisuke."

There was a glint of enthusiasm in his eyes, "If Your Excellency commands it, then we shall follow."

After that, they each carried one in their arms before slowly going back to Bourou village, with Goku and Kokomi at the back of the group trailing behind.

"...Goku, capturing fish wasn't the only event that happened this morning, was it?"

His explanation only covered half the story, as she had observed scorched marks around the area Goku was at just now. He had also not given any explanation as to the cause of the loud disturbance either.

"Ehehe, it wasn't. When I was finishing up, I fought those weird monsters with the mask. They weren't really strong or anything, but the last one sure was a whole lot bigger than the rest of them."

As she suspected, the incident with the members of the Resistance wasn't the only thing that occurred. From the description he gave, it seemed to her that he had fought off a tribe of hilichurls due to the enormous amount of raw fish he had gathered, with the last one he fought off probably being a Lawachurl.

Yet, she did not see any of their bodies.

No...rather, most of them were turned into nothingness from the battle that transpired. It was also the most probable since the lawachurl was not present on the scene, despite its huge size.

It was most probably due to the person walking beside her.

Judging from the lack of injuries, and the baskets that he brought with remaining in good condition, Goku truly did not have much issues in combating them.

It spoke volumes of his strength.

"Hey Kokomi, about those monsters...they can't talk or anything right?"

"As far as I know, hilichurls are monsters that are capable of communication, but only in their own language."

She had heard before that there were those who studied such creatures, but did not think much of it. After all, there was no such discovery of someone cohabitating with such monsters.

"I see..."

There was a strange silence to it, something that she found quite uncharacteristic of him.

It was gradual, but she was beginning to see that despite his straight forward nature, Goku had matters that he contemplated on as well.

"I have to return to the shrine, for there are still matters I have to attend to. I assume that you haven't quite decided on what to do next, yes? Why not enjoy exploring the village for a bit?"

With that, Goku watched as Kokomi began walking away from him, with villagers running towards her in excitement, only for his attention to turn elsewhere as another person approached him.

It was an old woman, who had been standing beside the entrance of the village, as if she had been waiting for him to return.

"My oh my, you are unexpectedly well acquainted with Her Excellency."

"Hey, you're the granny that let me borrow those baskets this morning," he said, pointing at the old woman.

"My name is Komaki, and I would certainly appreciate it if you stop your rude gestures. Youngsters these days..."

Goku could only laugh awkwardly as he put down his finger.

Meanwhile, Kokomi was observing the two of them from afar, momentarily standing in for a moment, only to head out once she finished talking to the villagers.

"Sorry about that...oh yeah, I'll return your things later after those guys are done with it."

"Oh, that. Take your time. I'm certainly not using it, what with my old age. I'm more curious about your relation with Her Excellency. It's rare for her to treat a visitor personally, so I do wonder what your opinion of Her Excellency is."

Was it really that strange? Goku didn't really have a frame of reference of how Kokomi treated outsiders apart from him.

"Nah, it's not anything special if ya ask me. I guess to me, Kokomi is a bit...weird?"

There was a cackling laugh coming from the old woman, "Now that is an unexpected response. I suggest not giving that opinion to others on the island. After all, the people of Watatsumi island look up to the current Divine Priestess. It would be no surprise you would be in a heap of trouble if they were to hear that."

Goku was not surprised, considering his conversation with her yesterday. It merely confirmed more of what he knew.

He also really needed to get used to everyone just saying that one title for the entirety of his stay here, didn't he?

"Since you're a guest, why not try a bit of divination?" she suggested out of nowhere, a knowing smile now adorned on her face.

"What's that?"

Komaki then gestured to Goku to follow him, and before long, the two arrived at a small shrine, "Think of it as a way to take a glimpse into a potential path on the road."

Goku crossed both his arms, thinking hard to understand what she meant, "I don't quite get it, but it's like looking into the future right?"

She shook her head, "Oh no, how could the future be predicted with just a few words. It's quite preposterous, don't you think?"

That made sense. If anyone could see what would happen so easily, then it would have been done everywhere else already, wouldn't it?

"What it can do is give you a bit of a hint, think of it as fortune-telling in a way. I can assure you the shrine here is quite effective, so you need not worry about its authenticity."

"Alright, I guess I don't mind. I am kinda lost on what to do right now..."

The matter of finding a way back still lingered in his mind, and despite the hours he had spent mulling over it while he fished, he was just as clueless as what to do as before.

It seemed like Kokomi knew of some way to do it, but was withholding it for some reason.

"Excellent, but before we can perform it, I would like your help on something youngster."

It was a sudden unexpected question, but he did not mind it.

"What do you need?"

She nodded her head in approval of his attitude, "The efficacy, or so to say, the effectiveness of the shrine in this village comes from the Deep Sea Spiritherb grown there."

"Deep Sea Spiritherb...so, like from the ocean then?"

"Yes, but only at the very bottom of it, it was also where our ancestors came from as well."

"Ancestors...wait, you're telling me you all come from inside the ocean!?" he yelled out, realizing the implications.

Even someone like him was bewildered by such a revelation, and he had seen all kinds of things already in his adventures.

"Ohoho, it's always interesting to see an outlander's reaction."

Somehow, this old lady was starting to remind him of Fortuneteller Baba, and he could not tell if that was a good thing, or the exact opposite.

"It is only thanks to our god Omikami, the one who guided our ancestors to the surface, that we are now able to live above the waters."

God huh, so someone like Kami? Guess this Omikami was their protector if he had to relate them together.

She coughed, realizing she had gone somewhat off topic, "Enough of my prattling. I'm sure there is plenty of time to learn more about Omikami if you desire to do so, youngster."

Komaki paused, but decided to ask the young man in front of her instead, "So, where was I?"

"Uhh...something about those herbs being at the bottom of the ocean?" Goku replied to the best of his memory.

"Oh yes, you're quite right. Thousand of years ago, our ancestors transported those herbs to the surface in order to raise them, and in those thousand of years, these Spiritherbs have outlasted them all despite the difficulties of the time."

She then squatted, touching the leaves as she checked on the herb's condition, "Of course, in order to keep them in such condition, a steady supply of water is needed for them to survive."

She stood right back up, facing him as she continued, "Anyway, the simple matter of fact is...I ask that you retrieve the water from the Offering Pool on this island for them."

He had been listening intently, something that he had somewhat learnt to do due to Mr. Popo hitting his head for not listening properly at the beginning of his training, but from the way Komaki worded it, it didn't seem like water specifically from this Offering Pool was absolutely needed.

"Can't I just get any kind of water or something?"

"Hoho, if only it was that easy. Only the water from the Offering Pool will suffice for such a task. This is because the water there contains wishes, if you will."

"Wishes, so if you gather more than enough, you can make a wish come true then?"

"You youngsters and your ambitions. No, its strength is not as broad as you would believe. What I mean is these wishes are from the people's dreams that have lingered for generations now, as these wishes have dissolved into the water itself."

Darn. Here he thought that it would work like gathering the dragon balls back in his old world.

"Once you've gathered the water, don't tarry and return here immediately. Once you leave the Offering Pool, the power of those wishes will disappear if you let the water linger in the air for too long."

"Ummm, you talk about all that but where exactly is this wish water anyway?"

She blinked in realization, "My mistake, I supposed the Offering Pool was much too vague for a youngster that had just arrived on Watatsumi island."

She then pointed in a general direction, "It's not far from here. Simply go straight, and you'll find Mouun Shrine. It is...abandoned now, but it is still easy to spot. Once you've arrived, you'll find a well, an offering well to be more specific, and you can gather the water from there."

"Alright, guess I'll head out then!"

And just as he turned, preparing to head, Konaki's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Youngster, do you have anything to carry that water?"

Goku merely laughed it off, which indicated clearly he did not think of that, if at all. His mind just now was more focused on trying not to forget what he had to do.

She let out a huff, "So you don't. Well, come along then. I'm sure I still have one of those buckets laying around."

Goku breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the several Torii gates, alongside the stairs leading upward, signifying that he had finally found this supposed shrine.

It took him a bit, what with trying to figure out the area, but it was not before long he was able to get his bearings.

Having the strength to jump high up in the air definitely had its perks.

And upon passing through the gates, Goku was befuddled at the state of the shrine. Collapsed structures, splintered woods, unattended weed...he couldn't even move into the shrine even if he wanted to as the main body of the shrine was not there at all.

There was no comparison between the Sangonomiya Shrine and this Mouun Shrine, but he did see one thing that caught his eye, which stood before the gates leading up to this particular area..

He had seen a few statues around the Island, like the one at the Sangonomiya Shrine or at Bourou Village, but the one here seemed much more refined.

It was a gigantic statue of a woman in robes that stood near the gates of this shrine. For some reason, he felt that there was some meaning to it he did not understand from mere observations alone.

Regardless, he could ask granny later. For now, his goal was to gather this wish water thing and run back as fast as possible.

Goku looked around amongst the rubble, until coming upon a well filled with water.

At first, he thought there was nothing special about it, until he decided to feel it out instead.

He was...not quite sure what he was sensing. There was certainly something different from regular water, but he could not point it out, if at all.

Well, he could only sense ki, or life energy in another word, so there was always going to be a limit to what he could feel out.

It just meant that he still had a lot of things to learn.

After filling the wooden bucket with water, Goku closed it with a lid in order to avoid spilling .

Then, he rushed back to Komaki.

"Really now, village elder? He's just a guest, and a new one at that." A young woman, dressed in the standard shrine maiden attire, said as she faced Komaki.

"The youngster had no qualms in helping out, something certain shrine maidens have neglected to care for as far as I know," the old woman pointed out.

"Look, it's not as if I don't care. It's just that those traditions are too cumbersome and time consuming for us to do."

"And traditions dictate that..."

"Oi, granny!" Goku shouted out as he fell from above, startling the two in their conversation.

"Ah, youngster, it seems you're back," she answered back, leaving her conversation with the shrine maiden aside for now.

Goku cheerfully held up the bucket in his hand, "Yup, here's the water you wanted!"

"Good good, wait here for a bit youngster, there is another step to do after I water them."

As Komaki busied herself with the herbs, Goku turned towards the new individual.

"Oh hey, you're one of those...shrine maidens right? At least that's what I remember that Naki person said."

"Oh yes, I hope she wasn't too hard on you. She...how do I put this, puts Her Excellency on quite a high pedestal."

"Nah, it wasn't anything like that," he said nonchalantly.

"If you say so...oh right, I almost forgot to introduce myself here. I'm Tsuyuko, and as you already know, a shrine maiden from the Sangonomiya Shrine."

"Hi, I'm Goku! Wait, aren't you supposed to be at the shrine right now?"

She let out a soft laugh, "It's not like we're stuck there every moment of the day, but truth be told, I'm here because of you."

He blinked, "Me? I don't think I ever met you before this though."

"Oh, we haven't, but Her Excellency saw you conversing with the village elder and asked for me to take a look at the situation," Tsuyuko explained.

"Eh, so Kokomi sent you?"

"Well, I am usually the one who gives guided tours on Watatsumi Island, and Her Excellency wanted to make sure you didn't get yourself into any sort of trouble. After all, it is only your second day on the island."

It was a request from the Divine Priestess after all, so she saw no reason to deny it, that and she held a bit of curiosity for this new visitor.

"Ohoho, I believe that no longer applies, don't you?"

Komaki joined in once more, having just finished watering the Spiritherbs.

"Forgive me for being rude, village elder, but you aren't helping in that endeavor either," Tsuyuko countered back.

"Perhaps, perhaps, but is he truly in trouble if he can get out of them so easily?" the old woman reasoned, a simple smile that somehow seemed more intimidating than it should be.

Goku did not understand what was going on, but even someone as socially inept as he could tell that there was some sort of disagreement going on between the two of them.

"Hey granny, I thought you said there was another thing I needed to do?"

"Oh, you're right. The next step is to make the Spiritherbs even more radiant than they are now, it is only then, will they be able to display the true color of the wishes. To do so, they need to be placed in an environment rich with hydro from the deep sea."

"So, we just have to get more water? Aren't we just doing the same thing as before then?" Goku summarized succinctly.

Tsuyuko let out a snort, which Komaki gave her a judging look for.

"He's got you there village elder," the shrine maiden explained her reason for her laugh..

After all, it wasn't everyday that someone, let alone a visitor, was able to unintentionally question their tradition.

The old woman hesitated for a moment, but ultimately let it go to explain instead, "Simply put, there is a cavern to the north where the hydro composition of the water is closest to the environment of the deep ocean."

Goku looked towards the direction she was describing, but could not see a cavern at all considering the distance.

"Look for one that is crystal clear and transparent, that would be the most ideal concentration you are looking for. Do be careful of any other disturbances, lest you spend more time looking for another that is just as concentrated. "

"Got it, but where exactly is it?"

Tsuyuko decided that it was about time she intervened, "No need to worry about that, since I'll be guiding you there."

"Oh? Am I simply becoming senile but are you helping in safeguarding our tradition?"

"I still have reservations on them, but Her Excellency did send me here to keep an eye on our guest, and what better way to do so than going along with him?"

"Ohoho, this certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but I supposed it is not unwelcome."

Pleased that the two were somewhat getting along, he held out a thumbs up as he turned around, "Don't worry, we'll get you that water you need before the day ends."

"This sure is a lot farther than I thought it would be," Goku couldn't help but voice out, having walked for around an hour already.

Currently, they were moving across one of the many paths that lead outside of the village. The road did not lead them downwards towards the waters within the island, but led them upward, traveling around it instead.

"The cavern is not exactly a straight path for us to go to, so we'll need to take the long way if we want to get there."

The cavern itself wasn't anything too hard to traverse, at least for those that had lived their lives on the island. However, it was still very troublesome if one were to get there as fast as possible, as traversing through the multitude of waters was not exactly the most pleasant of experiences.

"But if we keep walking like this, it's gonna take a while before we get there," he tried to argue.

"At our pace, it'll probably take a day or so before we reach the place," she stated casually, not at all bothered by the implication.

It was an exaggeration, but it would certainly take them at least until night time before they arrived at said cavern.

"That's way too long! There's gotta be another way there."

She let out an amused smirk, "There certainly is, but that involves a lot of swimming, and I'm not quite looking forward to getting my robes wet."

Then, Goku placed his fist on his palm as realization spurred within his mind.

"I can just carry you there, That way, we can get there way faster."

Instead of questioning the proclamation of his ability to do such a thing, she merely shrugged, accepting the suggestion.

After all, the Divine Priestess herself did not seem worried about Goku's safety, as evidenced by her request to merely observe the situation and get him out of any unnecessary trouble.

"I certainly don't mind efficiency, but before we do that, do you mind answering some questions I have for you? I don't think we'll be able to talk if you carry me around at a faster pace."

"Sure, what do you wanna ask?"

"You've been here for more than a day. So, as a visitor, what is your opinion of Watatsumi Island so far?"

Having done many tours in the past, it was always interesting to see an outsider's view on her home.

Goku thought about it for a bit, stopping in his tracks as he took in the sights of the island.

"...This place reminds me a bit of home. It ain't the same since this is an island and mine was in the mountains, and there weren't anyone around as far as I could remember, but it's pretty nice. Plus, there's a lot for me to explore here since it's so big."

So he lived in the wilds, all alone from the sounds of it. At the same time, it did not seem like he lacked any sort of human contact either.

Goku then stared at the area below, "Still, this place sure has a lot of water huh?"

"When an island is made by breaking off corals, questioning the amount of water would be silly, wouldn't it?"

Goku lit up in excitement at her explanation, "That sounds amazing! So, this island wasn't always here in the ocean?"

"That would be correct. Our ancestors didn't start living on this island out of nowhere either."

"Oh yeah, I remember granny talking about that...a god brought them here right?"

"So, the village elder told you that I see. Well, Omikami, or what we like to call him, Orobashi not only created Watatsumi Island, but he was also the one who taught the people to thrive in a world above the ocean. It's why the people here worship him, even to this day."

"If he's that important… how come I didn't see him back at the shrine?"

The more he thought about it, the more strange that he had not even seen a single instance of this god yet.

"Well, you don't need to be at a shrine to see him. After all, he's a serpent the size of an island, I'm pretty certain anyone would notice him if he was here."

"He's a giant snake!?"

If Naki was here, Tsuyuko was sure that she would have cast a glare at him for describing their god in such a way. Fortunately for him, she wasn't the one that was present.

Tsuyuko did not mind it, if at all. From her experience in guiding many people around the island, she had heard much worse in comparison.

"Since he's so big, that means he's in the ocean right?"

It was the only explanation Goku could come up with, and it would make sense except for one thing he did not consider...

"That would be incorrect. After all, Orobashi is no longer present in this world."

Judging from his expression, Tsuyuko surmised that he was indeed caught off guard by such a revelation.

"Oh, so he's gone huh..."

After hearing how powerful this Orobashi was, Goku was wondering if he was somewhat like Kami, and wanted to actually meet him.

Seemed like that could never be.

"It is what it is, but it doesn't diminish our worship of him in any way."

Though she had just criticized tradition, she was still very much a proper shrine maiden of the Sangonomiya Shrine.

"Say, weren't I the one who was supposed to be asking you questions? At this point, I think you are getting more out of this than I am."

"Hehe, sorry about that."

"Well, how about we even things out. Hmm...what do I want to ask?"

There was a short pause as she deliberated on her question.

"Ah yes, since my previous question was in regards to our island. I was wondering what do you think of Her Excellency?"

"You all really like to know what I think of Kokomi for some reason, huh?"

So it seemed that someone else had asked him this question already, and if she were to guess, it had to be someone that had experiences when it came to the state of Watatsumi Island.

It was definitely that village elder Komaki.

"It's just that...it's a first for Her Excellency to bring back a personal guest to the Sangonomiya Shrine. While we have had visitors in the past, most stayed in one of the guestrooms in Bourou Village. So, you either left a pretty lasting impression on her, or she's keeping an eye on you for some other reason."

"Well, my answer is still the same. Kokomi is weird," he said plainly.

Now that was an answer she needed more insight into.

"Care to elaborate?"

"She helped me out a lot yesterday, since I am pretty lost right now, but when I asked her about some things, she never told me about any of them. It's kinda confusing. I've also noticed she stays silent whenever she thinks no one noticed, and I don't really get that either."

"...You can't expect to understand a person just after a day, right?"

That was true. He couldn't count the number of times he was wrong about someone, like with one of his friends such as Yamcha, who he thought was a bad person in their first meeting, only to turn out to be a friend he could count on.

"I don't know the full reason, but as someone who has seen that girl ever since she was little, nothing she ever does is without reason. At the same time, she doesn't go out of her way to seek someone out personally. That girl...she actually does not enjoy interacting with people for too long."

"Really? She seems pretty good at it to me."

This was especially so considering every one he had met so far always treated her so formally.

She smiled wistfully, "She does, doesn't she? But for every time she had to take command of a conversation, she gradually becomes less enthusiastic. What happens after...well, I'll let you find out for yourself, makes it more exciting, doesn't it?"

There was a tentative silence, which was a rarity for him. Eventually, he settled on a simpler solution, and just simply extended his trust to Kokomi.

To accept that she has her reasons for hiding things, and just believe in her justifications for doing so.

It was neither logical nor reasonable, but when had he done anything that was even remotely close to those words?

If he did it in the past, then he could do it again. A new world wouldn't stop him being himself.

"Don't know about the exciting part, but I guess I don't mind waiting for a while to find out."

Tsuyuko let out a satisfied smile, "Guess that is enough of that. Now, show me how exactly you can get us there faster."

"I'll carry you, of course," he stated as a fact of matter, as he stretched out both his hands towards her.

The sincere smile he gave off made even Tsuyuko start questioning a bit of her status as a shrine maiden.

"So, all we have to do is just jump down from here?" Goku questioned, Tsuyuko still held in his arms.

After running through a fair distance from their previous conversation, the two had finally stopped at one of the highest points on Watatsumi Island. There, they had stumbled on a cave-sized hole that led to a cavern down below if one were to jump into it.

He peeked into it, but to him, there was nothing noticeably remarkable about it, except for the gigantic tiles that made up a circular stage, somewhat reminding him of the ring that fighters would battle on during the Budokai Tenkaichi.

Yet, for how gigantic those tiles of floor were, he did not see anyone or anything on it.

It was clearly empty. So, maybe it was for something else?

"I'm half sure this is it," she said, inspecting the insides of the cavern from above.

"Only half? You're not completely sure?"

Tsuyuko shrugged, "I haven't come here in a long while, because as you can see, getting here is more trouble than it's worth."

And returning once more solidified her view even further. She had no qualms with her duties as a shrine maiden of the Sangonomiya Shrine, but following these tedious traditions that were dictated by folklore had never really appealed to her.

"Yosh, time to get down there then."

And before Tsuyuko knew it, they descended into the hole with nothing but a grin on his face.

She had thought that their landing would be hard, but it was surprisingly soft as his feet touched the ground, almost as if they were floating in the air at the very last second.

...only for him to suddenly drop her onto the floor anyway.

"Ouch. That was rough of you to do out of nowhere," she groaned, exasperated at the rough landing.

"Sorry sorry, got distracted by something." Goku said apologetically, yet his eyes never left the insides of the cavern.

She noticed his expression, and decided to ask his reason, "And what exactly is more important than this poor shrine's maiden's buttocks?"

He ignored her comment, and immediately sensed something in the water. While he couldn't exactly get a good feel of it, it did somewhat resemble the water back in the offering well.

"...is the special water that one?" he asked, pointing in a direction to his right.

Tsuyuko stood back up, "Let's go find out, shall we?"

With that, the two moved towards one of the edges of the cavern, where water flowed from the waterfalls gushed down from above.

Tsuyuko squatted down to scrutinize the water, while Goku maintained his attention on their surroundings.

There was this prickly sensation he had felt ever since he got here, but no matter how much he focused on sensing ki around the area, he came up empty.

Having gone through so many battles in the past, his experience easily told him there was something more than what it seemed.

"Hey Tsuyuko, there's not supposed to be anything else here right?" he asked, since she had been here far longer than he ever had.

"As far as I can remember, it's just an empty cavern. It has a special type of water, but that's about the extent of it," she explained as she grabbed a small bottle from her robes.

"It also seems we got lucky, this is the exact concentration we need for the Spiritherbs," she said as she scooped up the water with the bottle.

Out of nowhere, Goku grabbed her from behind, causing her to drop it into the water as he quickly carried her away by jumping onto higher ground.

Before Tsuyuko could question his sudden action, she quickly understood the situation as splashes of water slammed onto the ground they were previously standing at with great force.

As Goku removed her from his arms, the two took the time to see who was their assailant.

It was not a who, but more of a what as they saw some sort of construct, made entirely of the element of hydro floating in the middle of the stage.

"This was certainly not here the last time, or any time as far as I can recall," she stated plainly.

"You got any idea what it is?"

"Unfortunately, I don't believe there's any useful information I can provide you with. The best I can surmise is that it is made from the element of hydro, but that was already obvious."

"Guess it means I get to fight it without knowing much about it, that sounds just fine to me," his serious disposition turned to his usual easygoing grin.

She would suggest finding the bottle first, but with that unknown entity present, there was no guarantee that it would be the safest method either.

"Goku, as a visitor of Watatsumi island, you're absolutely not in any way obligated to help out in the affairs of this place. While it would be unfortunate that we won't be able to retrieve the water, it is not worth endangering your life for."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. It ain't my first time fighting something like this. Besides, I've been itching for a good fight anyway," he said confidently.

The martial artist then jumped off, leaving her alone to watch the fight that was about to ensue.

The moment he arrived at the stage, his new opponent flew towards him almost instantly, indicating that it had sensed his presence.

Good. At least it was focused on him rather than Tsuyuko, which meant he didn't have to worry about anything else in this fight.

From a single glance, he could tell that just punching and kicking it wouldn't be too good against it, considering most of its body was constructed by water, meaning it wasn't solid enough for him to hurt it effectively.

However, those cube-like structures surrounding the middle point of its body did look solid enough. So, his first attempt should be on one of those.

As Goku dodged to the right, he took a sharp turn to his left before jumping towards it. Putting a good bit of strength into it, he let out a straight right hook onto one of the cubes. The moment his fist came into contact, the cube burst into drops of water, destroying it entirely.

With one of the cubes now destroyed, Goku was able to see into its inside, and saw a crystal shining ever so brilliantly in the middle of all that water floating around. Before he could capitalize on this new discovery however, the cubes around it started to deform, melding itself onto the creature, resulting in a gigantic bubble being formed.

Goku put up both his arms in response as the bubble burst into an explosion of water, sending him back onto the ground.

The martial artist was not deterred from such an attack, his eyes searching the area for any changes, and found that it had exposed itself as the crystal was now floating slightly on the floor, unprotected.

But that was not the only thing around him.

Before long, the water scattered around the area began to gather into one from multiple locations, forming itself into something else.

They seemed to be some sort of slime made out of water?

Well, that was certainly different.

Instead of having his attention divided between the slimes, he focused solely on the crystal. There was no point in fighting those slime monsters, as it was glaringly obvious to him that the crystal is the one controlling the hydro around, so his focus should be on it instead.

So he did.

"YATATATA!" Goku yelled out as he let out a barrage of punches, mixing it with a couple of kicks in his assault.

With each and every strike, cracks began to accumulate on the crystal, until it was almost to the point of being shattered into pieces.

But just as Goku was about to land the final attack, he found his punch stopped short just before it could hit its target.

That was because he now found himself floating in the air, and the reason this only happened now was due to the fact that he was submerged entirely in water.

Basically, he was trapped due to his opponent returning back to its original form, causing him to be caught in the process. And as much as he trained, he still needed oxygen to breathe. Fortunately, it was also because of his training he wouldn't immediately drown either.

Goku did not panic despite the situation he found himself in, but calmly began to think up ideas on how to free himself.

Punching the crystal while he was within its body was an idea, but he shot it down, having realized his movement in the water was far too slow to deal any sustainable damage to it..

That meant using his ki was the only option left.

And there was one technique he could always rely on.

Goku began to cup both of his hands, as a ball of blue light started to form in between them. Despite the water drowning out his voice, Goku began his chant regardless.

"KA...ME...HA...ME..."

The radiance of the energy he was holding shined even brighter than the crystal, pulsating uncontrollably, as if it was prepared to be unleashed on its intended target at any given moment.

But then, it stopped.

The ball of energy slowly but surely became dimmer until the light dissipated into nothingness, with Goku relaxing both his arms, showing no sign of continuing the technique.

That was because he realized that he needed to think up another way out.

There was no doubt the Kamehameha would have saved him out of this situation, but upon staring at the insides of this cavern as he concentrated on the technique, he came to the realization that even a single use of it would collapse the entire structure.

If it were just him alone fighting this thing, then he wouldn't mind it as much, but with Tsuyuko here as well, alongside the chance they might lose the bottle from the ensuing blast, he needed to turn toward other options.

Options that he was struggling to think of.

Truthfully, up until his current training, he honestly did not have a lot of techniques involving the usage of ki, and even including his training with Kami, he could only count them on one hand. If the opponents he will face in this new world were anything like this one, then he'd probably have to think up of more ways to use ki beside the ones he had learnt.

For now however...

Goku held his breath as he concentrated his ki onto his right hand, and then aimed it right at the crystal.

A burst of ki exploded from his fist, forcing the water to be pushed away from him, including the core.

As said crystal flew into the air, alongside a portion of the water being splashed onto the ground, Goku heaved a sigh of relief being able to breath again before quickly jumping out of it.

Just as he landed, what followed was the body of water that had once imprisoned him also fell onto the stage, spreading itself all over the ground.

The martial artist sprung into action as he began to run towards the crystal, only to find himself gawping at the scene in front of him.

It was one of those hydro slimes, only it was staring right back at him, unmoving.

But its body was shaking ever so slightly.

The implication was not lost on him as he immediately kicked it into the air, only for it to explode in a burst of water right after.

"Whew, guess I know how it's mainly going to attack now."

To split and then reform itself. That was how his opponent operated in a battle. There was a huge weakness to it, and it was that the crystal seemed to expose itself every time it split the Hydro around it.

All he had to do now was just land a good enough hit to end it.

His train of thought ended as he observed the slimes slowly moving towards the core, with one of them already being in close proximity to it.

Unsurprisingly, the slime melded itself into the crystal that was levitating in mid-air, and was surprised that the cracks that he had caused before were slowly disappearing, as if it was recovering from the damage.

That was certainly not good.

Goku bended both his legs, and jumped the distance between them as he spun his leg mid-air

Even if it was recovering, one good hit should still do it.

His kick however, never connected in the slightest as he simply phased through the crystal.

Goku stared back in confusion at what just happened, "Eh? But it worked before!?"

He didn't have much time to contemplate on the issue, as another one of those slimes dissolved itself into the crystal.

If physical attacks didn't work, then the other option was ki techniques.

Goku held his breath once again, calming himself, right before letting out an explosion of ki from his fist, blasting it towards the core. Upon impact, droplets of water splashed around the area, but it did little more than startle the particles of hydro element floating in mid-air, and nothing else.

Just like before, his strike did not connect.

So, how exactly was he supposed to put it down then, if it was capable of recovering its strength every time it was almost at the point of being destroyed.

There had to be a weakness somewhere.

As the last of the slimes got absorbed into the core, cube-like structures surrounded it once more, indicating that it had returned to its full power.

...he supposed he'll just have to figure it out as he goes.

Goku prepared himself as the unknown entity dived itself into the ground, the large pool of water never leaving his sight even for an instance.

And just as quickly, a pod of hydro dolphins suddenly leaped towards him.

Goku responded by dodging to the side, avoiding the attack completely, but did not stop as he jumped to another as they came after him again.

This continued on for several minutes, with Goku continuously moving to avoid getting hit while his opponent followed his every movement. Despite his focus on dodging the dolphins chasing after him, Goku was very much still thinking of a way to finish this fight.

What if instead of targeting the crystal, he should be attacking the slimes?

The issue with the idea that he had found was that the crystal could just make more of those hydro slimes again, and absorb them again and again.

If it could keep doing that repeatedly, then he would probably tire himself out by repetition.

So what did he have to do to break the cycle?

The crystal had to absorb hydro slimes in order to recover its strength...and nothing else.

Goku's eyes lit up in realization, a wild grin adorn on his face.

That was it, it could only absorb one of its own parts, or the hydro element to revitalize itself, so if he could just disrupt the process, then...

Goku came to stop as he stood his ground, a feeling of excitement rushing to him, wanting to try the new approach he just came up with.

As pods of dolphins jumped into the air, Goku responded by blasting a wave of ki towards it, splattering the water into puddles.

It immediately reformed itself back into shape, but this time in the form of a gigantic ray, swooping down on him.

Goku opened up his right palm, channeling his ki into it as the blast of water split into half upon contact. Once the water died down, the crystal laid bare on the ground once again, which was an opportunity Goku would absolutely take advantage of.

Solidifying the ki in his hand, Goku curled it into a fist as he struck it at its dead center, with cracks immediately appearing from the strong impact.

For the second time Goku was about to deliver the final blow, the crystal core spun around uncontrollably as hydro began to gather around it.

It did not return to its original form, but continued to spin until it formed a mini tornado, with water flowing through it.

Before Goku was able to jump into it, rains of water fell from above, forcing him to move.

He could see the marks formed on the stage from the attack just now, and recognized that those definitely weren't ordinary drops of water.

Rain wasn't the only thing plummeting from above, as foams of human-sized bubbles started to form from the surface of the ground.

Instinctually, Goku moved around with them in mind, dodging one explosion and another, only to sidestep droplets of rain that was about to fall on him.

Clearly, it was doing anything it can to prevent him from getting any closer.

It didn't matter though, at least to him.

After all, it couldn't rain down all this hydro for too long.

And he was right. The attacks slowed down to the point that he was not even focusing on them anymore, alongside the fact that the tornado had disappeared .

There were however, three slimes popping up from the ground.

He grinned, because this was exactly what he waited for.

Goku dashed off, aiming for one of them, and quickly kicked it into one of the other slimes once he got into its proximity.

As the slime was sent flying to its brethren, he rushed off to the next one, only to do the same thing as he threw it towards the very same slime. When the three collided into one another, it did not explode into bits, but merged into becoming a single slime that had a size that was even bigger than Goku's.

It wasn't what he expected, but it might work out better than he thought it would.

The newly formed slime ignored him despite its bigger size, still intent on moving towards the crystal.

Now standing behind it, Goku stuck both his hands into the slime, a bit weirded out by how wet it felt.

Regardless, he started to concentrate.

Traces of energy began to pulsate around his arm, as light radiated from his arms.

If the core wanted to replenish its energy with hydro, then he would just mix it in with so much of his own ki, that it would overpower the hydro entirely.

Right after he was finished transferring his Ki into the slime, he immediately pulled out his right arm, and followed it up by blasting it forward.

"HAH!"

With a single push, Goku was able to send the gigantic slime flailing in the direction of the crystal. As the two collided, the slime immediately merged itself into the crystal, water splashing about as it slowly disappeared.

Then, there was nothing left but the core floating about.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

But right after that, it started to shake uncontrollably, with nearby water levitating and falling back into the ground at an erratic pace as a white light radiated from within it.

It continued to shine ever so brightly, to the point it became too blinding for even his eyes to handle.

Until finally, it exploded, as bits of water drenched the area.

As the light dimmed down, Goku opened his eyes, only to find nothing in front of him, except for something shining on the ground.

Moving closer to the source, he noticed that it was water, or water that seemed to have solidified itself in the form of a small cube.

He picked it up, and started to inspect it as he felt it in his hand.

It didn't seem like it could reform back into its gigantic form, as he could feel the solidified water repelling his touch. Thus, he kept it for now and decided he could ask about it later.

Inspecting the damaged arena, Goku couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

That...was certainly a first for him to utilize his ki in such a way. It was also because of his inexperience, that he had probably overshot more ki than was necessary to overload his fallen opponent.

He had thought of it during the fight, but he was even more certain now than ever that he had a lot of things he needed to refine after this.

It wasn't a difficult fight, not compared to the ones he had experienced up till this point.

However, it did require more than just his physical strength to win. If that was an indicator of the fights in Teyvat, then he needed to find a way to vary his techniques, especially the ones that used ki.

Despite the realization, he was actually quite excited just thinking about it.

"You've certainly finished off your opponent quite nicely," the voice of Tsuyuko chimed in, who had come from her previous, and was now approaching him.

"It took me a bit to figure out, but I still won in the end," he smiled as he gave her a victory sign.

"Indeed. I can see why Her Excellency was confident in your strength. Still, it would be best if I reported this and warned that village elder to avoid coming here anymore."

"Oh yeah, we still have to find that bottle!" he yelled out in a panic, and ran off to the last place he saw it.

As Goku searched for it in the shallow water, Tsuyuko held a satisfied smirk unbeknownst to the martial artist.

Minutes passed as Tsuyuko merely observed from behind, while Goku continued splashed the water around in hopes of finding it.

"Hehe..." she let out a small laugh, which made Goku stop to turn around, staring confusedly.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Oh, a lot of reasons, but most of them are because of this," she explained, holding an ever familiar bottle in her hand, "While you were busy fighting that thing, I took the chance to retrieve it during the chaos."

It wasn't quite as easy as she had described, since during the battle, she was desperately searching for it so that they could escape without fighting that construct any further than he should.

But by the time she was able to retrieve it, the fight was already in its last stage, and she had to hide somewhere further to avoid being hit in the chaos.

"You could have told me that sooner, sure would have saved me a lot more time."

She tapped her chin in amusement, "Hmm, consider it a bit of payment for leaving without explaining anything just now, and for my poor rear."

Goku didn't quite understand her explanation, but let it go as he somehow felt that he deserved that for some odd reason.

With that, the two started their journey back to Bourou Village.

"Do you truly distaste generations of tradition that you would go so far as to abandon it entirely?" Komaki said, shaking her head in disappointment.

The two had now found themselves back in Gorou Village, where the first thing they had done was to give the bottle to the old woman.

She was delighted to see that they were successful in their task, but just as she was in the process of watering the Spiritherbs, Tsuyuko decided to voice out her concerns on such ventures in the future in consideration of the events that transpired.

"It isn't that, village elder. I can understand your unwillingness to accept my reasoning but for now, as one person living on Watatsumi island to another, I implore you to refrain from doing so until the situation at the cavern has been confirmed and stabilized for safety reasons."

The old woman closed her eyes, letting out a sigh as she relented, "Very well, though it is unfortunate, for who knows how long the radiance of these spiritherbs will last."

In spite of the mood, Goku decided to chime in regardless, "Why are ya worrying so much granny? just ask me anytime ya need help with it!"

Tsuyuko was the first to respond to such an absurd proclamation, "While I cannot say for certain, but it is not impossible you will meet the same opponent again."

"I really don't think it'll appear, but even if it does, you don't have to worry so much since it would be good training for me. After all, I got some stuff I want to try out, ya know?"

His nonchalant attitude certainly got a laugh out of the old woman, "My oh my, I certainly haven't met a youngster like you before, even in all my years."

She turned towards the leaves of the Spiritherbs, inspecting them, "Now then, I did promise you to a bit divining, did I not?"

"I wonder what it's gonna say?" Goku asked, his attention fully on them as well.

Tsuyuko would be lying if she said she was not curious either. Due to her experiences today, it was a very safe assumption to make that Goku was not someone ordinary, not even by her standards.

"Strange, usually the radiance of the Spiritherbs allows one to tell their fortune for the day."

She stood right back up, her eyes staring into his, almost in a frightened manner, "Youngster, you..."

She shook, snapping out of her trance as she let out a smile, "You will have great fortune in the coming days."

"Wait, that's it!? Darn, I thought it was gonna tell me more than that...well, I guess I kinda count myself lucky today."

After all, if it weren't for the many events that happened today, he wouldn't have come to a realization in regards to so many matters, from understanding bits of affairs on this island, to finding out his lack of variety in terms of his fighting style.

All in all, he could count himself lucky.

"Like I explained before, how can one capture the image of the future with mere words?"

While the young martial artist bought that excuse, Tsuyuko however was skeptical, and this time, it was not simply a matter of her dismissing tradition.

To her, it seemed to make more sense that Komaki had seen something unexpected in those leaves, and instead of telling the truth, chose to tell a false fortune instead.

For what reason the old woman would do such a thing, the shrine maiden could not fathom.

Goku then realized something he had wanted to ask for a while now, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask you about something granny."

"Ask away. It's not everyday a youngster would ask for my knowledge."

"Right. So I gotta ask...what's up with that abandoned shrine? Why doesn't anyone take care of it?"

Tsuyuko feigned ignorance at his question, but she knew that exact question would hit a sore spot on the village elder, especially so considering the generation she came from.

"...My my, it seems my age is showing. Unfortunately youngster, I need to rest these old bones of mine, perhaps another day."

That was...nicer than it would have turned out. It seemed that in the span of a day, the old woman was actually somewhat fond of him, as the expected reaction was a silent glare, alongside multitudes of nagging.

She would know more than anyone else.

"I agree with the village elder, it is getting late. I think it's time I guide you back to the Sangonomiya Shrine, I'm sure we all need a good rest after today," she said as she began to push Goku a bit, prompting him to start walking as well.

Tsuyuko noticed the old woman's gaze as they took a few steps in, who gave her a silent thanks for her efforts in steering the conversation on hand.

As the two left the village, with Goku's eyes lingering on the people walking about the village.

His interest died down, he turned to the shrine maiden, "Hey Tsuyuko, do you know anything about that weird shrine then?"

He couldn't help it, there was just something that had stood out to him about that place, prompting him to know more.

It was too bad Komaki was too tired to tell him about any of it.

"If you're referring to destroyed state that is of the Mouun Shrine, then yes, I am knowledgeable of how it came to be what you saw today."

"Ooh, that means you can tell me right?"

She pondered in her head, before giving him a cheeky smile, "I could...but it is a bit of a long story, so why not ask Her Excellency instead? I'm sure she wouldn't mind talking about it while I prepare dinner for the two of you."

"You can cook?"

From anyone else, it would come off as rude, which it honestly was, but she knew better now that she had a basic grasp of his personality.

"Now what kind of question is that? Just for that, I might put a little something to spice up your tastebuds. I did hear from Naki you are a big eater, so I hope you enjoy it."

Goku's blanched expression all but told her that in order to mess with him, then food was a very safe bet to do it with.

She usually wasn't one to tease someone so openly, rather she had done so subtly on the Divine Priestess, something of which only the two of them know of.

That remained true, but she had a feeling that having this little dynamic with him would be fun during his stay here.

There was just something about this newcomer that she believed would make the coming days on Watatsumi Island interesting, that was for sure.

Goku felt uncomfortable as he sat down, settling himself in the room, with Kokomi present on the other side of the table.

The reason he felt this way was because he had changed out of gi, and into one of those robes that he had seen others in the village wore, though this one had a different color to it.

He was still questioning why he needed to change clothes in the first place, since his clothes were just as wet as today as it was yesterday when he arrived at the shrine at night.

"So this was the result from your venture into the cavern?" Kokomi asked him, as she held up the solidified water that Goku had given to her.

She heard the gist of the situation from Tsuyuko. While it was not quite unexpected to her, it was still a concern that an elemental being made of hydro was present on the island.

Fortunately, the situation had been handled for the time being thanks to Goku. Still, it was best that she send out some people to investigate the aftermath of the battle.

One can never be too careful, for one person can never truly account for everything that can transpire in the past or the future.

"Mmhmm, it gave a pretty decent fight, and I kinda hope it's still around if I ever go back there again."

If all goes well, then they would not be seeing that strange entity again, even if it would be to his disappointment.

Still, there was admittedly a strange sense of repulsion emitting from this tiny cube of water, just like he described. It was worth looking into it a bit more, but for now, she would keep it to her person for safekeeping.

After finishing with her thoughts, she gave Goku a formal smile, "And as the Divine Priestess, I would like to thank you for dealing with the situation."

Goku waved it off, "It's no big deal...but if you don't mind, can I ask you something Kokomi?"

She had an inkling of what he wanted to ask, but her expression remained neutral as she spoke, "Go ahead, it's the least I can do for what've you done today."

"Right, so do you know anything about that empty shrine near the village? I tried asking granny about it, but she said she was tired. I asked Tsuyuko about it when we were coming back but she told me that I should ask you instead."

It was not lost on her to what Tsuyuko was doing, that girl had always been like this for as long as she remembered. Regardless, she didn't mind being the one giving him the answers that he seeked.

"What we refer to now as the Mouun Shrine now is in actuality, the original Sangonomiya Shrine for worshiping our god Orobashi."

"That place? But it looks so much smaller compared to the one here."

"You are correct in that assessment, but can you guess why the Sangonomiya Shrine was moved to this location?"

Goku considered the question for a moment, before he gave an answer, "Hmm, because this place is at the center of the island and it's way bigger compared to the old one."

It was not a bad assumption, as geographically speaking, he was correct. The fact that the current Sangonomiya Shrine was situated at the center of Watatsumi Island made it much easier to handle affairs from such a position.

But he was wrong.

"A good guess, but those were not the reasons. In order for you to fully understand the context, you would need to first understand why Mouun Shrine was built."

Goku scooched closer, his eyes telling her everything she needed to know, as they beckoned her to continue.

Thus, she began to tell the tale of one Yuna Moona, who was considered to be the greatest master of whalesong in history.

Yuuna Moun was born to the Yuna Clan, one of the oldest Watatsumi Clans that could be traced back to the depths of the ocean.

And in her life leading up to maturity, she learned the rituals of shrine maiden, serving the Divine Priestess at the time, only to become one of its shrine maiden when the war with the Raiden Shogun was about to commence.

At some point in time, Mouun and her twin sister Ayame had mentored an unnamed boy, who would later become Touzannou, the champion of Orobashi.

Due to the impending war, she was ordered to assemble the first navy of the island, where she spent three days persuading the great whale Daikengyou to ally with Watatsumi Island.

Daikengyou was an old yet gigantic whale who commanded five hundred narwhals as bodyguards and five hundred humpback whales as musicians.

After the war with the Raiden Shogun began, Orobashi and Touzannou set out on Yashiroi island, while Mouun and Ayame led the navy alongside Daikengyou.

And in those torrents of battles, they were able to successfully slay the tengu Sasayuri, a general of the Raiden Shogun.

But the war was decided the moment the signature art of the shogun, Musou no Hitotachi emerged, severing Orobashi and Touzannou together with nothing but a single slash, creating a huge gape now known to be the Musoujin Gorge.

Upon hearing the news of the death of both her god and student, she and the great whale Daikengyou attempted to flee the battlefield, only to be killed by the subordinates of Sasayuri.

Their bodies were captured, while her sister Ayame disappeared into the sea, never to be seen again.

But even as years passed, the people of Watatsumi island still remembered her contributions through songs, and the Mouun Shrine was built in dedication to honor her memory.

As Kokomi finished the story, Goku was silent, his mind processing the story that she had just told.

To him, it was unfortunate.

War was a foreign concept to him, as even in his own world he had never experienced such a thing.

It wasn't as simple as back home, where he could tell there was a bad person doing evil things, and all he needed to do from there was to stop them the best he knew, through fighting. Here, it seemed much more complicated.

"So, that was it huh...but why is no one taking care of it then?"

It didn't make sense, if everyone on the island even now still knew of Mouun, then why was her shrine so devastated then?

"...Do you remember seeing a statue of a robed woman before walking up the stairs to the shrine?"

He blinked, scratching his head until it hit him, "Oh yeah, I remember seeing that weird statue thing, but what does it have to do with what I was asking just now?"

"The statue represents the very same god that split Orobashi in half, the Raiden Shogun. Perhaps in the beginning the people of Watatsumi Island were too drowned in their grief to care for anything else but their god, including the ones that had contributed to the war. In that sense, it is also understandable that over time, it turned into resentment towards the Shogun, as that statue was a reminder of what had happened, and what they have lost. It is especially true now, as the current situation in Inazuma has opened up old wounds that even generations after, do not want to remember."

Having said that, Kokomi did not feel any sort of resentment towards the Shogun, despite her position as the current Divine Priestess. After all, she never had any intention of scrutinizing any of the Shogun's actions, be it the future or the past, as she only cared about the future of Watatsumi Island.

That of which she was still fighting for to this day.

Meanwhile, Goku was in deep thought, trying to recall some things that he had learned today.

Raiden Shogun...he remembered that the guy with the mustache was accusing him of belonging to Shogun's Army back in the rivers, so if he connected that particular morning event with Kokomi's explanation, then...

"Is this Raiden Shogun still around then?"

She supposed it was about time that he knew. It was earlier than predicted, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Around? It is more fitting to say she encompasses every aspect of Inazuma even to this day, for the Raiden Shogun is the Electro Archon. How could she not be present, when eternity is what she pursues? She...is also the reason you cannot leave here. Due to the Sakoku Decree, Inazuma will continue to be closed off to the rest of the other nations, until a time unknown to all but her."

This new revelation certainly surprised him more than anything else he had found today.

Chapter Text

Sangonomiya Kokomi had an exhausting few days.

This was due to the fact that she had been busying herself with handling talks in regards to trade for the survival of Watatsumi Island, on top of her regular duties as the Divine Priestess.

It was an extremely tiring back and forth negotiation that had transpired for several days, and only now was it finally resolved. It was not as if it did not end up in her favor, but she had always found them quite tiring nonetheless.

This situation was entirely expected considering their position in regards to the current ruling of Inazuma. It was fortunate they were still floating by, albeit barely.

It wouldn't last for long if the conflict within Inazuma continued, and that was a concern that loomed over her head as days passed by.

In her less energetic state, she had forgo that train of thought and decided to take a rest in her secret hideout.

Though there were few who knew that she had such a place to herself, none could pinpoint the location of it, and she had kept it that way for however long it had been.

It acted as a safe haven for someone such as her, to be able to relax herself and recharge the energy she had lost in the ordeals of her interaction with others.

Truly, it had been a while since she had come back up here, as this was the first time she had returned to this location since the arrival of Watatsumi's new guest.

Speaking of her guest, Son Goku...was a strange person.

He was undoubtedly a carefree individual, what with his outgoing yet confident demeanor. Despite being lost in a new world, she did not see a hint of worry in his expression. Confused perhaps, unknowing what to do one could even say, but he did not show any sort of fear in being displaced in an entirely new world. In fact, he was very determined in any decision he had taken so far.

At the same time, he was confusing to her.

He did not mind helping others, but had never asked for direct help from others except for her. In her eyes, it was not that he was arrogant in that he refused help, moreso he believed he could solve it eventually.

Perhaps that was why there was another matter with him that befuddled her.

As the most revealing of it all, was that he did not continue persisting in his questioning of her decision to withhold information from him.

By her past actions, it was clear even to him that she held some form of answer to his dilemma, yet he did not pursue her any further than that, but decided to occupy his time by training, which had continued on ever since that night she had revealed the existence of the Raiden Shogun.

Those were her thoughts running in her mind as she began writing down on a blank page of a small book.

Son Goku meditated in absolute silence, his mind as clear as the clouds above as he took in everything that surrounded him, from the rustling bristle grass to the sounds of flowing waters.

The reason for the latter was mostly because he was sitting right under a waterfall, allowing himself to be drenched entirely by it.

There was not just one waterfall, but multiple of them in his current location. Within those waters stood four monuments with a strange purple symbol on each one of them.

One was placed at the same eye level as he was at, while the other three were at the very top of the waterfalls, each one several distances from the other.

Then, his eyes snapped open.

He stood up as he joined both his palms together, energy beginning to swell around them.

Sparks of lights formed as Goku slowly separated his palms, his concentration fully on maintaining the trails of lightning flowing between them.

It was a technique reminiscent of one he had seen before in his first tournament, the 21st Tenkaichi Budōkai. More specifically, his final opponent Jackie Chun who utilized his ki to create some sort of technique that shot out lightning, paralyzing him to a point he was unable to escape from it so easily.

He couldn't remember at all how exactly he escaped despite receiving the full brunt of the technique, as there was a blank spot in his memories of the battle.

Regardless, he figured that out of the techniques he had seen, this one seemed to be the most suitable for what he needed.

His attempts in trying to recreate it had been slow, because unlike the Kamehameha, his full concentration was required in maintaining the form of the attack itself, and for it to continue persisting even after he released it.

There was also one difference he was trying to take with this technique, unlike the one Jackie Chun used on him.

It needed to hit more than just one target.

The one Jackie Chun used during that time only hit him, possibly because it was due to being a one on one battle, but for him, he needed it to be more of a technique that affected his surroundings.

Unlike in a tournament setting, fights here weren't always against one opponent.

He could remember a time he had fought off groups of people during his adventures, but he had his Nyoibō back then, which helped immensely dealing with multiple opponents without much effort.

In this new world however, his weapon of choice was no longer by his side, so he had to improvise for situations such as those, as he doubted he could find another pole that could stretch itself almost infinitely.

He couldn't rely on the Kamehameha, for it was a beam of concentrated ki that covered long distances, but not the area around him.

Before he was dropped here, he did learn how to bend it in a way that allowed him to change its trajectory as it was being fired, but it wasn't exactly what he needed right now.

There was another idea he had been trying with the Kamehameha, but it hasn't quite come together as well as he thought it would.

So, for the past few days, he had been training to use a technique that once belonged to Jackie Chun.

Initial attempts were interesting, as there were mostly failures. It took him several tries before he was fully able to use it in the same way as Jackie Chun did.

In a serious fight however, it was still impractical, as the time needed to start the technique was far too slow for his liking, so he had been working on just trying to get the technique out even faster.

That, and him trying to get the lightning coursing through it to flow in multiple directions.

Because of those goals, the area near the waterfalls was the perfect area for him to train this technique, not only because there was no one around to be caught in a potential misfire, but also because of those strange monuments placed in the waters.

He didn't know what they were at first, as he had only planned to use them as training targets, but found out later that they light up when lightning is shot towards one of them.

And just as he was about to fire another right after the first one lit up, the initial mechanism's light dimmed down, indicating that it had deactivated.

From that timing alone, it was clear to him it required all of them to be activated at the same time.

It was honestly good training from him since he had a short term goal for this new technique.

"HAH!" He yelled out as he unleashed streams of lightning in a straight direction.

Upon hitting the mechanism near him, the electricity immediately spread out towards the other three as it ascended upwards, striking them as well.

He heard a short click as the four mechanisms lit up, indicating that whatever it was supposed to be done with it had been achieved.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed something shining in the waters, but ignored it entirely as something else preoccupied his mind.

He turned to both his hands, inspecting to check if there were any sort of injuries. His past attempts had shown him that even when it worked, he would sometimes still get burned from the technique. Fortunately, his current host was willing to heal him whenever she noticed it, as if she was expecting it when he told her that he would be out training.

Regardless, to see that there was none assured him that the technique was done flawlessly, and it was finally honed to the point that he was satisfied with the results.

He smiled gleefully, feeling pretty proud of himself.

Still, he wondered if he should name the technique, as he couldn't quite recall what Jackie Chun called it, and by changing it for his use, he didn't think the original name applied anymore, did it?

Oh well, he could think about it later, he wasn't the best with names anyway.

He hopped off the rock, landing on the soft grass beside it as he moved closer to the fire he had made out of the branches nearby, which had been going on for quite a while now.

The reason he had done so was because he was cooking food for himself that he had caught from hunting the wildlife nearby.

There were wooden sticks planted firmly onto the ground, with the food that he had caught being pierced in the middle of each stick being roasted over the fire.

The food he was cooking were strange creatures, as it had only one eye, with no appendages to speak of, which meant their movement relied solely on floating in mid-air.

There was also the fact that their insides were full of elements such as electro or hydro rather than organs, something he had to see himself when he tried opening them up.

They also tasted bad.

Like, absurdly bad even to his standards.

Still, he kept at it despite the terrible flavor. Half the reason was due to the fact that Naki was very much still giving him the stink eye whenever he came back to the shrine at night. Although the shrine maiden never outright admitted to it, even he could tell she did not like him that much.

The other half was because from the couple of days he had spent here, the whole issue with the food supply on this island was very much true, despite how normal it looked on the surface.

So, he decided to hunt food for himself to satisfy his hunger during his stay here.

From what he gathered, it did not seem like the people here had eaten these strange creatures. Thus, when he saw groups of them floating about on the island, he decided to give them a try.

They not only tasted bad, but were also pretty unfulfilling, so he had no choice but to catch them in dozens before eating them in one sitting.

All things considered, it was a good workout considering they could fight back using the concentrated element within them, but they weren't that difficult to handle in a fight.

While they tasted horrible, he was somehow getting used to it after repeatedly eating them.

The crunchy taste after burning it to a certain color was interesting, at least to him.

As he continued eating the last piece of his food, he noticed that the sky had begun to darken, indicating that night time was about to arrive.

He supposed that was enough training for one day, which made him wonder what he should be focusing on now that he was able to achieve his current training goal.

Or instead of training, he should prioritize the more pressing matter; finding a way back home.

Unlike before, he somewhat had an idea on what to do now, which was searching for this Raiden Shogun. From what Kokomi described, it sounded to him that his issue of being trapped in Inazuma would be resolved if he confronted the Electro Archon.

Although he had asked more about it at the time, Kokomi did not elaborate further on the whole situation, as Tsuyuko had brought dinner for them to indulge on, effectively stopping their talk back then.

Even after that, his host had never spoken more in regards to the issue, something that he simply relented on, knowing that it was pointless to ask.

After finishing up the last bits of his meal, he put out the fire before he walked to the edge of the cliff, bending both his legs forward in preparation.

In one fell swoop, he jumped onto the other side, just slightly below the one he was standing on before.

As he began his walk back to the shrine, he took notice of an ever familiar cave, one that he had passed by multiple times already ever since he started his training.

It was a strange little place, as inside it laid shelves of books, with stacks of books scattered on the floor. In the middle of it stood a wooden table, alongside a simple chair accompanying it.

It was clear to him that the cave was used by someone on this island, yet he had never seen anyone ever occupy it.

After all, he had gone inside the cave before, and opened one of those books himself, only to be dumbfounded by how he couldn't understand a single word of it.

He may not have been the brightest in terms of literature, but his master, Muten Roshi did teach him the very basics of it before, yet no matter how long he stared, there was not one word he could identify. They were similar in terms of writing, but none of it made any sense to him.

He had spent hours there during the first day of training trying to understand the contents of every book he had found, but all of it was to no avail.

After that, Goku mostly took a glance at the cave just to see who was using such a place.

It was obvious to him that it was none of the villagers from Bourou Village, but he couldn't quite guess who the individual was

Until now, that was.

For the first time since he had discovered this location, he saw the silhouette of a person sitting there, unmoving.

And as he walked in, he could not be more surprised by who it was.

It was his current host, who was sleeping ever so soundly as they laid their head on the wooden table, their breathing still, even with the sounds of his footsteps echoing ever louder.

What piqued his interest at the scene was not just Kokomi, but also the small yet open book that was right on the table.

Curious, he picked it up himself and began to take a look at its contents.

Kokomi stirred from her slumber, her vision blurry as it slowly adjusted back to normal.

...only for her eyes to become wide awake as she realized the individual standing right beside her.

"Oh hey, you woke up Kokomi. I can't believe this book belongs to you, because it sure wasn't what I was expecting," he said casually, reading a book in his hand.

A book that was private only for her eyes.

Having just awoken, her mind was still groggy, meaning she was not at her most rational.

"Hyah!?"

Instead, she panicked and immediately stood up as she reached for the book in his possession. In her attempt to do so however, she accidentally pushed him back, causing Goku to lose his footing from the particular action.

"Eh?" Goku blurted out.

With a loud thud, both of them fell onto the ground.

Kokomi was now positioned above Goku, with him blinking confusedly at what just occurred, not knowing the implication of the scene before him.

Neither did Kokomi, as her eyes were more focused on her book, rather than the compromising situation they were in.

"...Please return that back to me," she stated, a hint of desperation in her tone.

Everything became still between the two of them, one waiting for a response while the other was still trying to prepare one.

It lasted for quite a bit...before Goku broke the silence with a laugh, smiling cheekily as he returned it back to her.

"Relax Kokomi, I didn't read anything in it. After all, I can't understand a single word of it," he explained.

In a rare moment of slow realization, she became flustered as she should have noticed the signs before rushing in with her actions just now. Even if it was because her mind was still recovering from sleep, she should have recognized the signs sooner.

After all, Goku had been holding her book upside down the entire time.

With her eyes fully awake, she finally noticed that she was laying atop of him, something that he seemed to not mind, if at all.

Inwardly, she could feel her heart beating faster, firmly believing it was only because of the sudden close proximity. Outwardly, she tried to keep a cool expression.

"You're a lot lighter than I thought you would be, but it's gonna be hard to talk like this, ain't it?"

She did not analyze the implication of his words, as she was most definitely taking this opportunity to get out of this current predicament they were in.

"Yes...you're correct," she said simply.

As the two slowly got off one another, Goku continued the conversation as he removed himself from the ground right.

"But it was kinda surprising how you were acting just now. Now that I think about it, you sounded like that when I carried you back then right?" he said, thinking back on his first day here.

She gave him a blank stare, "...You're surprisingly devious, aren't you Goku?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!? I just thought it would be fun, since I see you being serious all the time."

Was that the only reason? She had plenty of moments where she had shown him the proper courtesy, or was it perhaps still too stiff for him?

Truly, his reasons confounded her even now.

As she gingerly touched the edges of the book, she turned to face him, "...Goku, if you couldn't read this, then is it too different from the literature in your world?"

"It's kinda different, like I sorta recognize the letters in your book, but none of it makes any sense to me. It's not like I'm smart enough to understand an entire book or anything, but I am able to read letters thanks to my master."

Strange, it sounded like there were similarities between them, but he was not able to fully comprehend them, yet he was able to speak the language here just fine. Was it just a mere coincidence, or was there something bigger at play here?

As Kokomi dwelt on the issue, Goku decided to ask the question had been wondering about since he first stumbled into this location.

"So I gotta ask, is this place yours or something Kokomi? Cause this is the first time I've seen anyone here."

So he had known of this location for a period of time, presumably since he had started his training near the area.

Even with her obscuring the entrance, he was still able to discover it despite all her preparations in preventing such a scenario from occurring.

Perhaps she didn't cover all her bases in terms of hiding it, either that or Goku was the sole exception to her planning for some reason.

"I wouldn't quite call it belong, this location...is just for my personal use."

Now he couldn't help but ask, as he would have thought it would have been for something else, "Eh, so what do you use it for?"

"...To relax mostly. It's a place where I can unwind, and take some time to myself."

He nodded in understanding, "I get it, you want a place all to yourself. Sorry about bothering you then."

Strangely, she was not as bothered as she thought she would be, "It's fine. While I don't mind being interrupted when it's a serious matter, I would very much appreciate not to be disturbed when I'm here."

"Sure, but now that I think about it...what were you writing about in that book of yours? I kinda saw numbers, but I'm not too sure."

While she did not mind him being here, it did not translate to knowing the details of what she had written in this personal book of hers.

"Information that would not interest you in the slightest."

Somehow, the way Kokomi said it did not convince him at all, but decided to focus on something else, "Still, can't believe ya can read so many books on your own, Kokomi."

Among his friends, none of them he knew of were exactly the scholarly type. After all, most of them were martial artists striving to become better than they are, and being literate wasn't exactly needed in that regard. The smartest one among them would probably be Bulma, but even then he had never exactly seen her reading books, as she preferred to tinker with machinery instead.

"It's nothing. After all, I quite enjoy reading, especially the ones pertaining to military strategies."

"Military Strategies?"

She nodded, "Yes. To be able to figure out the planning and execution of strategies between groups of armed adversaries is what makes it more than worth it to me."

From her words, he equated them to battles, "That means you like fighting, doesn't it?"

"No, I'm not very physically capable, and I can hardly call myself a competent fighter, thus I have no interest in such area, but to be able to analyze and construct well planned stratagem to attain victory with those methods, those are what I enjoyed thoroughly each time I flip a page in those books."

In a way, he could relate to that kind of sole interest. After all, he was grinning ear to ear from training just a while ago.

"What about you, Goku? What do you enjoy the most in life?"

Since it was such a rare opportunity, she figured that it was about time she got to understand Goku as a person more, since they were alone at the moment.

He thought about it for a bit, because there were quite a lot of things he enjoyed in his life, but if he had to pick one then...

"Fighting."

"Fighting...is that why you don't mind facing dangers by yourself?" she questioned, recalling the incident he had with Tsuyuko.

"Nothing like that. I just like a good fight, that's all. It's great whenever I can feel my heart pumping at full speed, knowing the fight could change any moment, with both me and my opponent giving it our best. There's just nothing more that gets me more excited compared to everything else. "

Then, his expression became much more intense as he continued on, "But what I don't like is when a fight involves harming others."

She could infer various meanings from his tone alone, "In fighting, is it not already expected that both sides could potentially be injured?"

"I don't mind that. It's when monsters take the fight to people who don't wanna get involved."

He still remembered the last fight he had with Piccolo, with the supposed demon king taking his friend Tenshinhan as a hostage in order to gain an advantage in their fight.

The fact Piccolo had harmed so many others beforehand didn't help in alleviating his distaste for it either.

While Goku recalled that specific moment, Kokomi was currently processing the information, reevaluating her analysis on him.

With this new revelation, what exactly had her impression of him changed?

Nothing.

Truth be told, it merely solidified what she already knew, that his character was what he had shown thus far. However, it did tell her that Goku had experienced something beyond just simple battles between two fighters.

But she had no desire to discuss further into it, as she believed that there was no need to dwell into something that he did not seem to enjoy remembering.

"If fighting is what you enjoy the most, then what is your dream Goku? Are they related to one another?"

"Dream huh?"

What followed was mostly silence from the martial artist, which concerned her, as she didn't expect it would be this particular question that would make him ponder for so long.

"I want to become stronger and fight strong people...but I don't think it's right to call that a dream," he muttered, scratching his head in confusion.

That was because it was a constant goal he had strived for, but was he not already becoming stronger than he was every day? Had he not already fought opponents that forced him to give it everything he had? So, how could one call that a dream if he already achieved them?

What was his dream?

To become the strongest martial artist?

To be the Tenkaichi Budōkai Champion?

To continue on in his adventures endlessly?

To constantly battle strong opponents for him to take on?

He had never truly thought about it, as he never needed to. After all, his life up until this point was always one adventure connected to another, and he happily went along with it.

He wasn't dissatisfied, not in the slightest, but could what he had always been doing really be called a dream?

Taking notice on how hard he was contemplating on the topic, she decided to give him a bit of her perspective. "A dream doesn't have to be specific. It's called a dream for a reason after all."

"...What's your dream then Kokomi?" he decided to ask.

"My dream is ensuring the future of Watatsumi Island to always be bright. I want to be able to bear witness to it prospering, with and without me being the Divine Priestess."

"But isn't this place safe already? Besides that weird thing I fought off a few days ago, things don't look too bad to me."

"It's not. In fact, the future of this island is more uncertain as the days go by. it could be akin to attempting to sail through a storm in the middle of the ocean, drifting endlessly and without end, only to be pushed from all sides. In the end, they could do nothing but inevitably drown."

These were her honest feelings on the predicament of this island, and to the side that was against the current situation within Inazuma.

She was not blind to the many possibilities that could ensue, because she knew that at any point in time this whole conflict could potentially end in one fell swoop.

"I don't know what's it about, but it can't be as hopeless as ya think it is. After all, you haven't given up at all, right?"

"And why would you say that?"

"Easy, it's in your eyes. I've seen that look plenty of times."

He was right. Although the potential future was grim, it did not mean she had given up. In fact, it was that very reason she was still fighting, and it didn't apply only to her either.

"So stop overthinking it. If ya believe you can do it, then there's no reason to doubt it."

There was a strange confidence in the way he spoke, one that she could not dismiss so easily, "...I would say the same thing to you, seeing as you haven't given me your answer yet."

"Ehehe, that's true. Guess I just needed to be reminded of what I wanted," Goku then stared upwards for a moment, only to return to the conversation with a confident smile.

"My dream is that I have no dream."

Now she was the one who could not follow his train of thought, "How so?"

"Cause I'm already doing everything I want to. From training everyday to fighting strong opponents, making great friends and having adventures all the time. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I got no dream because I'm just doing whatever I want."

Kokomi let out a soft laugh at his absurd proclamation, something of which Goku had never seen her act in such a way before.

She had predicted all sorts of answers from him, ranging from being the strongest fighter in the world to wanting to have endless battles in order to satiate his desire for battles, perhaps even the desire to save everyone.

Yet, his answer was so vague and non-descriptive, that she never saw it coming despite all the lines of thinking she had come up with.

Kokomi may not have known Goku for too long, but for some reason she found it was the most fitting answer coming from him.

"Hey, my answer wasn't that bad," he complained, not getting the joke.

It took a bit before she stopped herself. She did not respond however, merely writing in her personal book, with a sign in it that Goku did not recognize.

It was only after she finished, did she finally turned to him, "You're misunderstanding. Your answer was not bad, not in the slightest. Shall we return then? I believe it is getting quite dark now."

With that, she moved from her spot, going for the entrance as Goku merely stared at her in confusion, not quite understanding what she meant by that, but followed along regardless.

"Fuah, that was a good meal," Goku stated as he finished the last plate of his meal.

Having eaten earlier, he had already satisfied most of his fill, so dinner was mostly a light snack for him, as he only ate a few plates of rice instead of the dozens he usually had.

Kokomi did not question the scene before her, as she had already figured out what was going on, what with the reports she had gotten on the drastic drop in the population of specters on the island.

She supposed that was one issue that was unexpectedly being rectified.

And just as the two sat in a comfortable silence, a young man dressed in a uniform burst into the scene, his breathing ragged as he quickly held a letter in his hands, showing it to Kokomi.

"You Excellency, I bear urgent news from Fort Fujitou."

She carefully took the letter from his hand, "Thank you Shibata. Please calm yourself while I read through this."

The young man did just that, or at least attempted to since in Goku's eyes, it seemed that Shibata was even more nervous than before. Though he did not quite comprehend what was going on, from the looks of it however, it did not seem like good news.

"I see...so the situation in Yashiori Island has devolved to such a state," she commented as she closed the letter, having just finished parsing through it.

"Your Excellency, what should we do? Mobilize the squads on Watatsumi Island?" Shibata already knew of the contents within the letter, it was the very reason why he had rushed to deliver it.

"No, that would leave Watatsumi Island defenseless. Our best move would be for me to personally observe the situation. There's no need for any more members to follow along."

"But Your Excellency, at least take some of us with you! And what about transport? Trying to find one at this time of night would be—"

"If you wanna just move to another island, then I can carry you over there, it can't be that far away," he suggested, adding to the conversation.

The other two paused, one only now noticing Goku present in the room while the other contemplated on his suggestion.

Kokomi was the first to speak between the both of them, "Shibata, please inform the others of the situation. You do remember the directives for cases such as these, correct?"

The young man nervously shuffled his feet, before giving a firm nod, "Yes, can do Your Excellency. Goku, was it? It is disrespectful for me to ask, but please look after Her Excellency in our place."

Goku simply let out a firm nod, of which the young man's expression relaxed upon seeing it. Returning the nod, Shibata excused himself as he left the two alone for his own duties.

Once the sounds of footsteps could no longer be heard, Kokomi turned to the martial artist, "Goku...I appreciate your willingness to help, but do you truly understand the implication of your action if you do so?"

He blinked, "Umm, we're just moving to another island right?"

It didn't seem to be that complicated to him, though he didn't know what exactly was so urgent about it.

"Yes, and that island is known as Yashiori Island. Do you recognize who that person was just now? "

He recalled the faces he had seen in the past few days, his face brightening at the realization, "He was one of those guys that thought I was from this Shogun's Army, right?"

"Mm, and do you know why they were acting in such a hostile way?"

"Well, they attacked me because they were trying to protect this place, but..."

"It's because they are a part of an army, one known as the Watatsumi Army, or the Resistance if you require something shorter. Its purpose is to directly oppose the current Inazuma Shogunate," she said as she stood up, giving him a commanding stare, "And I am its leader, Sangonomiya Kokomi. Do you understand now, Goku?"

This was it. She had been slowly revealing bits of information so that he would not be completely overwhelmed by it, especially so since he had only arrived in an entirely different world.

It did not mean she would not involve him in her endeavors, because in order to ensure victory in this civil war, it was a necessity.

There was no kindness in roping someone uninvolved in an internal dispute, especially with an outsider to this world. However, she would not ask for his help just yet, and if he simply wanted to leave she would not stop him either.

She wondered, what would be his response once he realized her intent in the future, given his distaste for dragging those who are uninvolved into combat?

For now, she wanted him to see the situation with his own eyes, that would more than suffice, "If you truly still want to help, then promise me that you will not involve yourself in what is about to occur once we land on Yashiori Island, no matter what happens."

Despite the initial shock, Goku remained as easy-going as ever, "Come on Kokomi, it's not that big of a deal."

"This is not a light matter. You can't make your decisions so easily Goku. Tell me, do you not still want to start your journey to find a way back? If you involve yourself in the matters pertaining to Inazuma any further, then you would simply waste more time by attracting the attention of the Shogunate."

He had no answer for that, because logically speaking she was right. As much as he wanted to deny it, he could not.

"Perhaps you can start finding your way out of Inazuma from there. Now that I know of your capabilities, I'm sure it's more than possible for you if you were to venture out on your own. However, you cannot involve yourself in this conflict unless you truly understand all the implications from doing so."

She was not so selfless to not involve someone like him, but she saw no merit in hiding anything more from him.

"This Shogunate? Are they doing bad things, is that why you're fighting them?"

"This war…is not dictated by simply good and evil. They're people, just like you and me. The only difference is what we're fighting for, one side for the decrees enacted and another against. In that sense, I suppose that when one looks at it from afar, it's much simpler than it is."

This was different from a lot of things he had experienced before, not in terms of scale, rather the ambiguity of it all.

Still, he couldn't just ignore it since he was now made aware of the situation. Coupled with what he had learnt before, he had settled on a decision, one that needed to be done sooner or later.

"Okay, I won't do anything once we get there."

She checked for any signs of lying, but having found none, she decided to put her trust in him.

"Very well. Before we leave, I need to thank you. Not many people would be willing to help out if they were in your position. After all, I'm the leader of a side that opposes the Shogunate."

"Don't make it out like a big deal Kokomi, even if you're this leader whatever, I ain't gonna think less of ya or anything. Besides, there's nothing wrong with helping out a friend, right?"

He didn't know a lot of things, but even if she had put it as badly as she did, he honestly did not believe her to be a bad person.

Kokomi did not respond, merely letting out a subtle smile as she turned to the other side, sliding the shoji screen open.

"We have arrived," Kokomi announced as they arrived at a shore, jumping off him.

They had immediately set out after that conversation, with her sitting atop of his shoulders as he swam through the ocean, just like before.

On their way there, they had stumbled onto a strange place, where small pieces of land were spread out in an area of the ocean.

He was curious about it, but since Kokomi didn't speak a word, he swam forward, passing through it.

After swimming several distances, they were able to arrive at Yashiori Island, and were immediately greeted by the downpour of rain, accompanied by heavy thunderstorms in the distance.

Goku could feel the immediate difference in terms of atmosphere.

It was hostile, as if everything here did not welcome the two of them being here at all.

"Stay close, with this weather condition it is best not to stray too far from the path," she voiced out clearly, even with the rain drowning out most of the sound.

And so he did.

As they moved along, Goku observed his new surroundings, taking in every bit of detail despite the darkness obscuring most of it.

If he was seeing things correctly, Yashiori Island seemed to be more of the typical islands he had come across before, unlike Watatsumi Island. So, the area was already much more familiar to him in comparison.

There was one thing that stuck out though.

He couldn't exactly make them out but he did see them once or twice on their journey to the camp.

By the shape of it, it was certainly no tree, nor was it any kind of rock that he knew. He couldn't quite identify what it was, but just as he wanted to take a closer look to sate his curiosity, he remembered that it was best that he left it alone for now, considering the situation.

As they took a step upward a slope, Goku could sense the presence of dozens of people gathered in one area, which he now knew were the members of the Resistance.

At first, the men did not notice them immediately, presumably because the sounds of their footsteps were drowned out by the heavy raindrops. It also did not help that it was already late at night, making it harder for them to see anything unless it was in close proximity.

Once the two came into view, one of the soldiers stood up in recognition, "Your Excellency, you have already arrived?"

At the mention of their commander's name, many of them turned towards her, only to find another person accompanying her. Not having seen Goku before, they were wary of his presence, their muscles tightening in anticipation of a sudden attack from this new individual.

Anticipating such a scenario, she held out her open palm towards them, "At ease, Goku is merely here to act as an observer, one that requires for him to be here with me. Without him, I would not have been able to arrive at this hour. "

They relaxed at her explanation, "Your Excellency, our situation is grim. General Gorou, he— "

"Before we begin, I believe it is more important to look at the wounds of those that were injured. After that, we can move our venue of discussion inside."

With that, Kokomi began inspecting the members one by one, making sure that there were no wounds that were missed. It would be detrimental if there were any sort of fatal injuries left unchecked.

As she did so, some of the soldiers eyed Goku, not quite understanding why he was still in their camp, despite their general's explanation for it. Stares, that the martial artist ignored entirely as he was focused on something else.

"What is the current situation?" Kokomi questioned, sitting in the middle end of a large table, with several members of the Resistance by her side in the room.

Goku was standing near one of the walls, not saying much as he wanted to try and understand what was going on.

She knew of the general gist of it already, but she needed to hear every little detail if she were to enact a plan that ensured the least probability of failing.

"In our last battle, we were ambushed by the Shogun's Army. We didn't even see them coming and before we knew it, we were surrounded. In order to ensure the rest of us could escape, General Gorou made himself a sole target for the enemy. Tch, if only we weren't caught off guard, we wouldn't be in this situation," one of the men explained in frustration.

It was quick thinking on Gorou's part. Just from observing the state of the troops on the camp, she had already envisioned what had occurred on the battlefield.

What she needed to do now was what she knew best.

"I see, then we'll need to prepare a counterattack, with two objectives in mind, the first is to find and ensure a route for general Gorou to return to, with the second one being our efforts in pushing back the Shogun's Army."

With her words alone, the men in the room became much more rejuvenated.

"Are you all prepared? Because take heart, for victory will be ours!" she proclaimed firmly, her hand held out in order to show her confidence.

Their response was to let out a rousing shout, indicating that they were still spirited enough to fight despite the pain they had endured.

After all, if Her Excellency was here, then victory was within their grasp no matter the situation.

On the side of the room, Goku was awed by the scene, not only by Kokomi's resolute yet commanding voice, but also at the soldiers that were still raring and able to fight despite the difficulties.

The scene before him really reminded him a lot of his friends back in his own world.

Goku wondered...if he could truly just sit around and do nothing the entire time he was here.

Chapter Text

Kannazuka.

A location that contained mountainous terrain with high steep cliffs, east to that of Yashiori Island.

To the folks of Inazuma, there was a legend that its name meant 'the hill where no gods reside'. Whether or not this was true, was not a fact that even the people of Inazuma were certain of. However, it was currently the disputed territory that had been fought between the Shogunate and the Resistance for the past half a year.

And amongst the areas in Kannazuka was Tatarasuna, a ring of islands surrounded by jagged, rocky terrain. What was more revealing was what laid within it, that being the Mikage Furnace, for it was the largest smelting facility in all the islands of Inazuma.

Inazuma's famed Jade Steel was produced in this facility, and still was being done so despite the civil unrest that had occurred in Inazuma.

Though there were rough and jagged cliffs all around, they were interconnected to one another, whether high or low through the many wooden bridges that had been built for. The bridges all led to one specific area, and it was right in the exact middle of Tatarasuna.

The most striking thing about it was the fact that it was a huge mass of land levitating in midair with nothing supporting its flotation, alongside the bridges spiraling around it for the purpose of easier movement, with carts filled with ores on almost every corner.

Not only that, multiple buildings also laid on these wooden surfaces, with most of them being at the very top of this large piece of land.

Some served the same function, others different. However, the people that stood in that location were not the usual workers busying themselves in the production of Jade Steel, but hundreds of soldiers belonging to the Shogun's army walking about, moving purposely yet aimlessly at the same time, unable to find what they were looking for.

And within one of said buildings, General Gorou of the Resistance hid himself there, alone amongst the sea of enemies.

The reason he was by himself, and not back in camp on Fort Fujitou with the rest of the Resistance was due to their last battle with the Shogun's army, in that they were completely blindsided by the enemy.

During that specific confrontation, it was clear to him that their side were fighting a losing battle, and as general, Gorou decided that the best chance to escape the worst scenario was to make himself a clear target for the Shogunate to focus on.

It wasn't hard to catch their attention. After all, he was not only a general of the Resistance, but also possessed a Vision that the Shogunate had been collecting ever since the decree was in effect..

His attempt had been successful in diverting the enemy's attention on him, giving a chance for the others to go back to camp and recuperate.

In these past few days, he had been running and evading attacks for as long as he could, while whittling down some of their numbers at the same time.

But in his efforts to do so, the blood had gone into his head as his thoughts were solely on trying to fight, causing him to be too focused on his skirmishes, not so much on trying to find the most rational way to escape.

Thus, his movement on Kannazuka had ultimately resulted in him arriving at the Mikage Furnace, essentially trapping himself inside it, with the soldiers of the Shogunate who ran amok, searching for his current location.

At present, Gorou found himself trying to decide on what was the best course of action.

He could try the more direct approach of fighting his way out, but even someone like him would find it impossible to leave unscathed, or worse.

This was because the Shogun's Army were not only standing near the furnace, but were spread out in the general location of Tatarasuna, meaning he had to consider the number of opponents that needed to be dealt with as well.

The other option was to escape while hiding himself in the darkness, but the sounds of his footsteps could still easily give away his location, even with the drops of rain blocking some of it out. This was especially the case once he stepped onto the wooden surfaces of the bridges connecting to one another.

If he were to be discovered on such a narrow and uneven path, then it would be all too easy for them to finish him off due to his limited maneuverability.

Vision or not, this situation was not in his favor.

So, he continued to bide his time, doing his best to escape their sights while formulating a plan of escape.

So far, he could not think of one that could guarantee his escape back to camp. At least, not one without him alerting the opposition of his presence.

Sooner or later however, he would have to come to a decision, even if the outcome was one that could result in his end.

Still, it was better to at least dwindle the enemy's forces if the worst situation were to come to be.

But just as he dwelled onto the possibilities, he felt something moved on his person, and swiftly grabbed ahold of the source.

It was a small yet rectangular box, one that was given by his commander, which was of course the leader of the Resistance, Sangonomiya Kokomi.

What mattered was not the box, but the implications from it.

To him, it was a signal that Her Excellency was now aware of the situation he was in.

He prepared himself as he opened the lid of the box, only to be greeted by the sight of a plain fish holding onto a note as it bit the edges of the paper.

For many others, this would be a strange scene, but for someone like Gorou, he was more than used to it already.

Taking it gently into his hands, he then read the contents of the note carefully.

He was right that Her Excellency was more than privy to his current predicament, and the letter was to inquire him of the specifics of his situation, ranging from his whereabouts, the numbers of enemy and his physical condition.

He was by no means an excellent strategist as he preferred thinking in the heat of the moment, but he did not need to as he had absolute faith in Her Excellency's strategies, and surmised that she was already forming a plan in regards to his situation, and needed every last details in order to finalize them.

And so he did just that, writing at the back of the paper with as much information he could cram into the blank spaces before handing it back to the little messenger.

As the messenger disappeared, Gorou closed the lid of the box and continued to hide himself, only this time with a renewed sense of vigor, knowing that his situation would not only turn around, but was more than likely a counterattack on the Shogun's Army.

He would be as ready as Her Excellency needed him to be when the time came, and carry them to the best of his ability.

"So... this is the place where that Gorou person is at?" Goku questioned, observing from afar, with Kokomi standing to his right.

Currently, they were standing on the soft sands of Nazuchi Beach, a strip of land that connected Yashiori Island to Kannazuka.

After Kokomi received the letter back from Gorou, something that Goku was bewildered at first as he did not think a fish could work as a messenger, she had stared at it for several minutes in silence, only to then furiously write on a new paper with a set of instructions, before sending it to Gorou once more.

It was only after that did she relayed the information to the rest of the Resistance, and laid out her plans in detail. After doing so, they all set out to the location Gorou was at, which had taken a full day of marching for them to make it here, and night had already fallen by the time they had arrived.

"That is correct. While Tatarasuna is wide in terms of area, Gorou would still have difficulty in escaping by himself, given the amount of Shogunate soldiers he is surrounded by. The best possible strategy would be to create a path for him to return to."

"Then why aren't we any closer to the place then, isn't it gonna be hard for you to see from this far away?" he pointed out, squinting his eyes as they were quite a bit away from the designated battlefield.

And that was the truth, for the rest of the Resistance were already moving towards locations that had been designated by Kokomi, with groups of them separating once they arrived at the entrances to Tatarasuna.

Each squad had their own roles in the coming battle, and she had already given specific commands for what part they each played in.

She merely stared at the backs of her soldiers, "It's simpler for me to observe from this location, rather than somewhere else."

Of course, one could argue the buildings that were placed near the entrances would be more suitable for her to observe the battlefield, but she needed to cover all her bases when the fighting began.

"Eh? You can see that far away Kokomi? I can sense a lot of people around here, but I'm still having trouble trying to tell how many there are."

Ever since he had arrived here, his ability to sense ki had not exactly been as sharp as he was used to. Sure, he was still able to detect the presence of individuals nearby to a point that was still more accurate than simply relying on his eyes, but for distances that stretched beyond landmass, he was as blind as anyone else here. He could sense them, but it was more like a vague estimate than an accurate one he had been used to for the past few years.

The fact that this overbearing presence he noticed every time he focused his senses did not help either.

"In a sense, I am seeing with my eyes, but only from here can I do so. If you want to see as well, you can try creating a deep hole in the sand."

Goku did not question it, as he was curious on how exactly she would achieve such a thing, and quickly threw a punch right onto the sand, creating a palm-sized hole on the ground between them.

And just as he released his fist from it. Kokomi swiftly controlled the drops of rain around them, forming it into a ball of water before dropping it into the small pit.

Moments after, Goku saw something in the reflection of water, and immediately recognized the scenery in it, as it was the image of the very same soldiers he had been walking with just a few moments ago.

"So you can just see things like this huh? Kinda the same as how I can sense other people around," Goku said, comparing his abilities to hers.

Typically, she did not need to exert herself in order to see such sights from the reflections in the water, but in doing so, others could not see the same scenes as she did.

It was certainly no impossibility to allow others to do so as well, but it did require a bit of her concentration to do so.

"Mhm, it's how I observe the battlefield. It also allows me to assess the situation from a wider perspective, and communicating with each platoon in the heat of battle is no trouble to me either."

In the beginning of this civil war, there were many things she had not been accustomed to. A technical know-how in war strategy did not automatically mean she was good at commanding others in battle, but she was able to grow accustomed to it throughout the course of this civil war.

Yet here she was, already used to the scene of a battlefield despite not always actively participating in them.

"Still, fighting at night? Wouldn't it be hard to see, especially since it's raining and all?"

For Goku, it wasn't that difficult to fight in such conditions, having weathered through situations like these numerous times already in his adventures, but he definitely didn't have the best of time either before he learned how to sense life energy.

To his question, she had but only one response, "The enemy's spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, their mind is bent only on returning to camp. Although we are hindered as well by the poor visibility, the Shogun's Army will be much more affected as they will not be expecting a counterattack so quickly."

Goku nodded at the explanation, thinking that it was a reasonable assumption.

It was kinda like him with food. He wasn't exactly at his full strength either whenever he had an empty stomach, which had definitely happened before.

"Now, watch it all with your own eyes Goku...of what has been transpiring for the past months here in Inazuma."

Unknowingly, Goku tightened his right fist at her words. There was just something about it that annoyed him to some degree.

To only just stand around and watch, could he really do that the entire time during this battle?

The atmosphere around the Mikage Furnace was dreary, to say the least. Though there were no sounds of conflict that spurred on, many of the Shogun's Army were simply done with the day's events.

Some were tired from the day's search, others trying to distract themselves from the tedium, only few were still focused on the task at hand.

Even if the individual they were looking for possessed a Vision, it was reasonable on their part to assume that the general of the Resistance was at his wits' end, and even if he did show up from his hiding spot, he would have no chance of winning against all of them in a confrontation.

After all, the rest of the Resistance had already retreated, so the possibility of them coming to his rescue in this short time frame was close to none.

It was only a matter of time.

Just as the many soldiers of the Shogunate decided to take a break, they began to hear a faint noise echoing the area.

At first, most of them had thought it was simply the sound of raindrops, but the intensity of the rain had not increased, so that definitely wasn't the reason.

As moments passed, the noise became louder and louder, until it caught the attention of almost all of the Shogunate soldiers in the area, especially the ones that were at ground level. It was clear to them it was the beating sound of drums being repeated over and over.

Although they were now aware of the noise, the soldiers did not move towards it, as most did not know what to make of it.

That was, until something shot out from one of the gorges in Tatarasuna.

Sparks of light flew into the open as it shone in the darkness, but it lasted only for a moment as it quickly fizzled out due to the rain.

Before the Shogunate soldiers could process what they just saw, dozens of more lights were shot into the area, every one of them hitting nothing but the air before landing on the ground, the only indication of its purpose gone the moment the light was snuffed out.

To many of them, they only became more confused, even if they tried understanding it to the best of their abilities. Though many were confused, one of the men on the ground level was able to see the shadow of the individual shooting the lights just now.

Realizing who the perpetrators were, he yelled out to the rest of the soldiers near him, "It's the Sangonomiya rebels! They're here!"

As if it was a response to the man, the beats of the drums grew ever louder, alongside the accompanying noises of horns being blown with it.

One of the commanding officers was not deterred by this tactic, as he yelled out at the top of his lungs, "Attack! There can't be that many of them! It's just a futile attempt to save their general!"

The soldiers all rushed into the direction the sparks had come from, with the officer leading them into one of the gorges of Tatarasuna.

Once they arrived at the intersection, they turned to the right as sparks flew once more from that direction, catching their attention.

Though they were hit, the Shogunate soldiers shrugged off the harmless firework as they marched towards the source, now fully aware of the rebels' location.

They were prepared to attack once they reached the other end of the gorge, only to be met by a barricade line blocking their way forward.

It was not impossible to go around it, but there were Resistance members awaiting them from the gaps of the space between the entrance and the barricade, each one of them armed with a weapon.

However, the rebels did not initiate the exchange, instead waited for their response, or rather, anticipating for something else to occur first.

"Argh!"

One soldier in the back of the group screamed out, startling the rest of them.

As they turned, they were met with the sight of another group of rebels glaring at them, the man that had just screamed covering his wound as blood dripped from it.

Unlike the ones at the front however, they did not wait for the Shogunate soldiers, as they simply let out a war cry while they rushed towards the enemy.

Due to the unforeseen situation, some backed away in the confusion, only to be struck from behind as well, for they had momentarily forgotten the ones at the entrance of the gorge.

It was only then that a realization had set in for most of the soldiers that were present, as they were attacked from both the front and the back.

They were tricked.

Goku's eyes remained glued to the reflection in the water, observing the battle that was transpiring.

To say he was impressed would be an understatement, as even as he had arrived here, he did not think the items that Kokomi had ordered to be brought along would be used in such a way, and whatever they were doing right now was certainly effective.

Even so, the fight bothered him.

There was no doubt the Resistance was winning the battle, but he could tell that in terms of individual strength, the Shogunate soldiers were much more proficient in combat.

That was because it was plain to see that half of the Resistance did not know how to properly handle their weapon, merely swinging it wildly relying on their physical strength alone.

He might have never used weapons beyond his Nyoibō, but he had fought many opponents that wielded weapons before, and from the rebels' movement alone, he could tell that it was anything but experienced.

Bothered, he decided the best way to get answers would just to ask their commander, "Hey Kokomi...not a lot of them have ever fought much before this whole thing did they?"

If she was surprised by his statement, she did not show it, instead continuing to focus her attention on the images formed on the surface of the water.

"You are correct. Many of the members of the Resistance have never fought before this, as they are just normal civilians that decided to take a stand against the decree."

"But it's been a couple of months already right? Shouldn't they have trained a lot by now?"

"Training? There are some, but our members are limited as it is already, so the most training they could get is on the battlefield. I've already tried to allocate the ones they are capable in terms of combat, as you yourself have experienced from those at Watatsumi Island."

Goku was silent, realizing that she was right. As inexperienced as some of the Resistance members that were fighting right now, they were still better at wielding their weapon than the ones that he had a brief encounter with.

It also meant that despite the advantage they had gotten due to Kokomi's plan, the fight was not clear cut on who would win at the end.

If they really needed the help, then maybe he should—

"Don't."

He stopped to stare at her in confusion, only to immediately notice something was different with Kokomi upon doing so.

The expression she held was unlike anything he had seen from her so far. Sure, the majority of them were proper and formal, but he had seen the glimpses of her opening up to him.

This was anything but that.

It was stern, almost unfeeling from how rigid her posture was. There was also not a hint of hesitation in her voice, as it was far more commanding than anything he had ever heard from her.

"I will repeat this again Goku, this is not your battle. Did you not promise that you will not interfere in any way?"

He did, but he was slowly wanting to ignore it entirely.

"They may not be well versed in combat, but many of them are here for their own reasons. Whether it is to oppose the current ruling of Inazuma, or because of the desire to protect their own livelihood. How could they not stand and fight for what they believed in?"

He got that. He could actually understand the reasoning for it, but he couldn't help but feel the frustration bubbling in him.

But what was he supposed to do?

This was not a battle to test his own strength, nor was it to satiate his need for combat, and this wasn't his battle no matter what angle he looked at it. Most of all, none of the people fighting here were bad or anything, just fighting for what they believed in.

So, even if he joined, what right was there for him to fight?

It was completely different, yet he did not like it.

Not one bit.

"The ground unit still hasn't reported back, it must mean they're meeting resistance more than expected. Quickly, we need to provide backup. Those who are able come along with me."

Gorou's pointy ears perked up upon hearing the voice of one of the Shogunate soldiers. From listening to the voices around, it appeared that Her Excellency's plan had been put into motion, meaning it was now his turn to do his part.

Arming himself with his bow in hand, he readied himself as he concentrated on hearing the footsteps in his vicinity.

He waited, and waited...until he sensed the number of people around him had been drastically cut down.

In an instant right after, he leapt into action as he burst through the door of the building he was hiding in until now.

None of the Shogunate soldiers nearby were able to react to his sudden appearance, and before they even could, one of them had been taken down from an arrow piercing them straight in the chest.

With the element of surprise at his side, Gorou took them out one by one as he ran through the upper area.

His role in Her Excellency's plan was not only to ambush the enemy from the back, but to reconvene with the rest of the Resistance as well.

Gorou stopped momentarily once he reached the edge, trying to assess the whole situation from above.

It would seem that the Shogunate soldiers that were running off were too preoccupied to notice what was happening behind their backs, as they were perfect targets for him and his arrows.

Just as he was about to take aim however, he quickly moved to the side as a spear came out of nowhere.

"It's the rebel! He's revealed himself!" the soldier yelled out, alerting the few that were still in close vicinity.

Guessed he would have to run as he shot arrows on his way back.

He had no issues with this arrangement.

The battle was going as Kokomi had predicted.

Though there were some Shogunate soldiers that had escaped in the midst of the battle, it was still within her expectations, as she knew that before long, the ones at the upper area would be joining in to bolster the enemy's side.

The Shogun's army would likely use one of the bridges to move into the entrance the Resistance were holding themselves up at, hoping to catch them off guard from above.

In one of the many images she saw, there were indeed already some of the Shogunate soldiers approaching the bridges connecting to the entrance of Tatarasuna.

Unfortunately for them, she had already foreseen this, as she gave the signal to begin the next phase of the plan.

To her left, Goku remained silent as his thoughts were occupied with not only the battle, but of something else as well.

"ARRRGH!"

Those were the general screams of the Shogunate soldiers, who suddenly lost their footing on the wooden surface they were standing on just a moment ago.

That was due to the fact that there were members of the Resistance that had been hiding in the shadows ever since the fighting began, awaiting for the moment the Shogunate soldiers stepped onto the bridge just to cut it off at the last second.

This, in turn caused the Shogunate soldiers to fall onto the ground below, and at the same time cutting off the way to reach the Resistance army.

The fall of the height was not nearly enough to finish the Shogunate soldiers off, but it was deep enough to leave injuries on them.

And to those that had not fallen, the Resistance members had readied their respective bows, and began firing arrows towards them.

They were clearly inexperienced, as most of them did not hit their intended target. However, they didn't need to as the action alone was enough to force the Shogunate soldiers to back off, as the possibility of being hit by stray shots were very real, until they quickly came to the realization that it would be faster if they join the others on the ground level than finding a way to get across.

Gorou flipped into the air as several arrows went right under him, only to grab ahold of them at the very last moment.

The instant he landed, he quickly released successive shots to each of his attackers, none of them missing his targets.

Without looking back, he ran off onto one of the bridges that was towards where the Resistance were fighting, as there were already Shogunate soldiers following on his trail.

But just as he reached the middle section of the bridge, he was greeted by a number of Shogunate soldiers that seemed to notice him at the same time he did them.

Despite enemies on both sides, Gorou merely continued forwards despite the situation he was placed in.

And just as the Shogunate soldiers were about to meet him head on, they noticed forms of small crystals surrounding him, but disregarded it almost completely, believing it was just the trick of the eye.

One of the soldiers performed a quick forward stab with their polearm, knowing that there was limited maneuverability for Gorou to get around it considering the narrow bridge they were standing on.

Gorou simply jumped into the air as he dodged it completely, before letting out a roundhouse kick to the soldier, sending the foot soldier off the bridge.

By the time he did so, the enemies behind him had caught up to him, with one of them leading the charge.

That was, before they were sent flying backwards, causing the others in the back to stumble from the sudden impact.

It was almost unnoticeable, as only Gorou could sense them, but small crystal-like rocks lingered in the air around him, their purpose not only to defend him, but to also attack his enemies.

He did not give the ones that had just tried to attack from behind any notice, as he was far too focused on the task at hand.

Drawing the arrow in hand, geo energy began to gather at the tip of the arrow, its light slowly concentrating into something brighter.

Though the soldiers continued to approach him from both sides, they were unable to reach him as no matter how they tried, they could not arrive at striking distance due to the bits of geo structure protecting him.

Then, Gorou released his grip.

The arrow flew right into the middle of the group in front of him, its trajectory not on any of the soldiers, but rather the ground beneath them.

The ground exploded upon impact, breaking the formation of the enemy.

He immediately followed up by releasing several more shots, disarming them of their weapons, before gathering strength in his legs once more.

Gorou dashed right past them within the time span of a few seconds, only to stop once he reached another bridge.

...as he found that it had fallen.

It took him only but a moment to remember that this was due to Her Excellency's plan, and out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed that there were soldiers underneath sprawled on the ground, with a bit further away where he could see where the bulk of the fighting was.

Well, at least it wasn't difficult to know what he needed to do.

Goku felt himself struggling to stand in the exact same spot he had been at for the past few hours.

Not because he was adverse to the violence that he was being shown, nor was it because of some sort of moral dilemma he was having either.

Honestly, even he couldn't tell why it was so hard for him to do so.

Certainly, he could just break his promise and interfere with the battle outright. It wasn't an exaggeration to say he could stop this whole fight on his own.

But what would be the point of that?

He thought hard about what Kokomi had said beforehand, on how he needed to see this battle with his own eyes.

He already came to a decision earlier on what he had wanted to do after this battle between the Resistance and the Shogunate, but now...he was indecisive.

Would he just be as selfish as ever if he did whatever he wanted? Won't his recklessness cause things to become worse?

He could remember an instance where in his anger at the death of his best friend Krillin, he had outright ignored his master just for the sake of revenge.

It ultimately worked out, but if it weren't for a set of circumstances at the time that might have been the end for him.

Kokomi, for her part, merely glanced at him from time to time, though her focus was mainly on the battlefield.

Still, she could tell that this battle was bothering Goku, as he was visibly frustrated with what was going on, an expression she had never seen from him.

From the looks of it, it did not seem like he abhor the fighting, nor was he disgusted by either side. In fact, his disposition seemed to be the same as before.

It looked more like he was trying to restrain himself from coming to a decision of some sorts.

She did not speak about it however, as she believed that it was something he personally needed to deal with on his own.

Both of their thoughts were interrupted as they saw a new development occurring on the battlefield.

Though they held the advantage at the beginning, the members of the Resistance were slowly being overwhelmed as more and more Shogunate soldiers arrived at the scene.

It was only thanks to preparation before the battle were they still holding the line.

But just as their formation was about to be broken apart by the Shogun's army, something unexpected occurred within their midst.

Several Shogunate soldiers fell over as arrows struck them from above, and as the members of the Resistance turned to the source, they were awestruck by what they saw.

General Gorou descended from above, only to use the cliffs as footholds by jumping from one side to another, until finally arriving onto the battlefield himself.

He had but one thing to say to his fellow soldiers, "The tide of battle is in our favor!"

"So...that's Gorou?"

"That would be correct. With his arrival, the battle is about to come to a close," Kokomi stated, a sense of finality from the tone of her voice.

Once again, Goku did not understand what she meant by that, but he simply shrugged and continued looking back on the fight.

With Gorou now entering the battle, Goku saw that the spirits of the Sangonomiya soldiers had been uplifted, like a new burst of energy had sprung forth from within as they suddenly all fought back even harder.

Goku was amazed at seeing such a scene, but more than that...it reminded him of something important.

"Fall back! It's time we finish this!" Gorou ordered as he swung his arm around, signaling them on what he was about to do.

The members of the Resistance did not think twice before doing as their general said, though that did not mean they were still not fending off attacks from the other side

Seeing the rebels backing off, the Shogunate soldiers took it as a sign that their side was winning, and proceeded to rush towards the Sangonomiya rebels.

But that was not the reality of the situation.

Two arrows soared above the heads of the Shogunate soldiers, heading towards both sides of the gorge.

As they landed on them, an explosion of geo energy burst forth, creating a strong enough force to cause parts of the cliff to collapse.

Chunks from the cliffs fell off in the form of boulders of varying sizes, which was the exact location the majority of the Shogunate soldiers were standing right under.

Many of the Shogunate Army backed away in response, but there were just as many that were too entranced in finishing off the rebels that they did not see the boulders coming either.

Thus, the rocks fell, crashing onto many of the Shogun's Army.

Gorou did not relent, as he continued to release more concentrated shots into the cliffs, causing more boulders to fall off.

This continued on, with some members of the Resistance assisting in his endeavor in their own ways.

Then, they stopped.

Gorou assessed the situation, as his ears perked up, picking up any sort of movement in their vicinity.

There indeed were from the Shogunate's side, but most of them were subdued, unlike the intensity they were showing just a moment ago.

He did not let his guard down, only continuing to listen in to his surroundings. The others followed suit, none of them loosening themselves even for a moment.

That was, until he heard the sounds of footsteps slowly fading away, and from what he could gather, were less than half of the troops they had fought just now.

That meant the rockfall had its intended effect.

Gorou let out a breath that he did not know he held onto for a while now, before turning to the other members.

They were dirty, most of them left breathless and injured in so many areas that some were having difficulty standing, but they had won.

He signaled this victory by striking the ground with his left fist, forming a war banner made out of geo energy.

"We are victorious!"

All the members of the Resistance gave a loud cheer to their general's proclamation, relief and excitement filling the air for having bested the Shogun's Army.

Kokomi heaved a sigh of relief, as she checked the situations of various locations from afar.

Though there were injuries, it was fortunate that no one on the Resistance's side had lost a life today, but the same could not be said for the Shogun's Army.

She steadied herself, as it was an occurrence she was all too used to by now. Though the members of the Resistance cheered on victoriously, an important action that was needed to keep spirits high, she busied herself in checking the aftermath of the battle.

Satisfied of the enemy's retreat after several minutes of observation, she turned to another issue at hand.

Goku.

But as she looked on at him, she recognized his expression had changed tremendously from before.

No longer was there a look of frustration, but one that was gazing at something...perhaps somewhere beyond.

Even she could not comprehend what his line of thoughts were right now.

"So, this is what you guys have been doing for so long…" he said, almost to the level of it being a whisper.

"Today is one of many battles. Whether it's in the past, the present or in the future, it will only continue until one side has won completely and utterly."

He remained silent, and turned to a direction. When she followed his gaze, she realized that he was looking in the direction that would lead to Narukami Island, eventhough both of them could not see it from such a position.

"Hey Kokomi, is there like a lot of people over there or something?" he asked, wanting her to verify his guess.

"...If you go straight from there, then you'll eventually reach Narukami Island, where the most lively and prosperous area, Inazuma City lies."

Goku did not hesitate as he got straight to the point, "Is that where this Raiden Shogun is?"

She did not give a reply, because she was hoping that her silence would deter him from heading there.

There were too many complications to consider when one goes to Inazuma City, especially to foreigners from another land, or world in this case.

Though she remained unspoken, he was able to see through her expression that implied he was correct in his assumption.

"Guess I got it right huh? Then that's where I'm heading out next," he said, a newfound determination in his eyes.

Kokomi took a step forward, "Goku, I understand your intent, but going directly to the Electro Archon is not only dangerous, but it would most probably solve nothing of your situation."

"Maybe, but seeing everyone here trying their best, I guess in the end, I just want to do what I think is right. Plus, all of you fighting for a reason like that...I don't like it one bit."

He then gave her his usual grin, one filled with confidence, "Don't worry Kokomi, I just wanna go and talk with her, that's all. It ain't like I'm planning to fight this Raiden Shogun. Hehe, do you think she'll help me out of here when I get there?"

Though he said that, Kokomi could tell that he was not oblivious to the other possibility from such an exchange.

"Yosh, I better get going then. Who knows how long until I get there?" he said as he turned her back towards her.

She needed to stop him, this wasn't a matter of him being an asset or not to the Resistance, but simply her genuinely not wanting him to go towards an untimely end.

It would be a regret she did not want to have.

But just as she was about to grab him by the hand, he turned once more to say one last thing before he left, "I'll see ya later Kokomi. I'm definitely coming back here once I'm done, cause I still got things I wanna do back at your place."

The way he remained unworried despite the predicament he was heading towards rendered her motionless, momentarily forgetting to speak altogether.

That moment did not last as he rushed off at a speed she could not catch up to, as all she could do was outstretched her hand, only to catch nothing but air as he disappeared into the night.

"Your Excellency? Did I miss something? Was whoever that just took off that a guest that I've been hearing from the others?"

The voice of Gorou cut in, with the other members joining in from behind.

There was a slight falter as she faced Gorou, but she was nonetheless able to return to the air befitting that of the Divine Priestess, "We can discuss it at a later time. I believe we need to treat your wounds first."

There was a formal smile to it, but Gorou could tell that whatever had just occurred bothered her on some level, one that he had never seen before.

Chapter Text

Narukami Island.

An area that spanned across Ritou, its port of entry to Mount Yougou, home to the Grand Narukami Shrine, and on its coast is Inazuma CIty.

Inazuma City is where most of Inazuma's population lived, from Tenshukaku being the highest point in the city to the busy streets of the city, Tenryou.

Then there was Hanamizaka, the outskirts of Inazuma City just outside of Tenryou cutting through the northern part of the city.

It was a quiet area, unlike the bustling and prosperous Inazuma city, where it exudes a different atmosphere entirely.

"Arghh! That darn tengu!"

Most of the time...for there was one individual that brought the exact opposite of said quiet atmosphere.

A fair bit distance away from Hanamizaka led to a small shore, where one might find people fishing away in their past time.

There were instead, four young men walking about, their direction unknown to everyone, even to themselves.

At the forefront of the group was the one that had just let out his piercing yet loud voice.

His name was Arataki Itto.

"Boss, how long are we gonna wander around, we've been doing this for hours now," one out of the three behind him complained.

"No way! I gotta figure a way out to get that darn tengu to agree to a rematch. I won't stop until I get my revenge," Itto replied in annoyance, his thoughts still on a certain someone.

"But haven't we tried that a couple times already? It doesn't look like she'll ever agree to it. Plus, didn't you lose to her in a fight already?"

Itto stopped as he turned to face the other three, an accepting expression accompanying it as he spoke, "Sure...she beat me, I'll admit it. But that doesn't mean she'll win next time, she's just scared that she'll lose to yours truly if we ever fought again."

He then turned his back towards them, "Plus, I was nice enough to change the fight to a sumo match instead, but she still won't accept any of my challenges," he whined, ruffling his wild hair.

The other three did not know what to expect from their leader, that was...until Itto suddenly let out a frustrated yell before going into a sprint, causing the others to try and catch up to him, with trails of sand being left behind as they did so.

Just as he was about to stop to hold his breath after running for several minutes, wanting to vent out his frustrations into the wind...

He stumbled, losing his footing as he fell right on his face, greeted by the pile of sand on the ground.

Put off by the sudden taste of sand, Itto immediately stood right back up as he spit it out bit by bit.

"Boss, you alright?"

With the uncomfortable taste mostly gone, Itto shook his head as he gave a response, "Course I am. Still, kinda weird I fell like that just now..."

His eyes then settled on what laid underneath the sand, something that he did not notice before due to his haste in wanting to scream at the top of his lungs.

He noticed a small part of the sand had dusted off from his fall just now, and upon observing the spot more, saw a patch of bright orange underneath it.

It came off as strange to him, yet it also piqued his curiosity as he called out to the other three, "Hey, help me out here. Seems like there's something under here."

The group then began uncovering the pile of sand, clumsily doing so as sand got into their eyes as they worked, until finally...

"Is that a dead body? Oh man, I didn't think we would see something like this?!"

That was their first reaction on seeing the unfamiliar appearance of one Son Goku, his body slumped on the shore.

"Boss, what do we do? Do we go report this to the Tenryou Commission, or the Yashiro Commission!?"

"Report? Why would we do that? I think it's better if we just cover the body back with the sand, and nobody would ever know."

"But what if someone asked us about it? I don't think I can keep my mouth shut if that ever happens..."

Having heard enough of the current conversation, he decided an intervention was needed, "Nobody is going to do anything. Plus, what makes you think the guy is dead?"

The three stopped to stare at Itto incredulously, "I mean...we found him buried in sand and he hasn't been moving ever since we found him. If he's alive, he should be up by now right?"

Itto disagreed as he closed his eyes, "No way. Just because he isn't moving doesn't mean the guy's already gone. We gotta check for a heartbeat first, you know...the standard stuff."

Right after he said that, he was thrown off by the scene before as he opened his eyes again.

All three of his members were poking the guy with a stick, as if they were expecting a reaction if they continued to do so.

"I don't know boss…seems pretty dead to me," one member said simply.

Itto shook his head as he moved towards the body, brushing off the others aside.

"Alright alright, stop with that. You have to be delicate when you're checking whether or not someone's still alive or...you know," he said as the others backed away to give him space.

Itto squatted down in order to get a closer look on this new person, and did the first thing that came to mind.

"HEY, YOU ALIVE!?" he screamed right into the person's ear.

Despite his loudest effort, the individual in question did not give a single response at all.

Annoyed, Itto went for the next best option.

He held his right arm as high as he could, opening his palm fully before slamming it right down onto the person's chest.

But just as it was about to come into contact, the person suddenly opened their eyes at the very last moment.

Itto could not stop his arm in time as it was already far too late to do so, but he didn't need to.

That was because the person in question immediately raised his own hand to grab Itto's wrist, effectively stopping the slam altogether.

Then there was nothing but silence, with Goku and Itto blinking at one another in confusion, their mind barely registering at what had just occurred.

That was, until Goku decided to break the stalemate, "Yo."

"It's a ghost!" One of the three immediately yelled out, sending the other two into a disarray as well.

Itto himself wanted to scream in terror as well, but held down his desire to do so as he realized that the person in front of him was no ghost...in fact, it was the opposite considering he was able to physically touch him just now.

For Goku, he was simply confused on what exactly was going on as his memory was still hazy, having just regained consciousness.

As Itto began calling the others to return to their senses, Goku slowly recollected back to past events that had transpired ever since his last exchange of words with Kokomi on Tatarasuna.

Ever since then, he had traversed through the land of Inazuma by himself, bearing witness to sights that could not have been found anywhere on Watatsumi island.

In fact, he had even encountered a group of weird people in straw hats and heavy armor along the way.

Not that he could recall what they called themselves as, seeing that they were threatening him at the time, something about money...though his thoughts were drifting towards something else for him to pay attention.

The results of that confrontation was pretty forgettable too, as he was disappointed by how easy they were to take down despite how much they boasted themselves up to be.

Regardless, he continued traveling on land until he saw nothing but water in his way, which plainly showed him that there was no other way but to simply swim across.

So he did.

And in doing so, he underestimated the distance it took for him to arrive at shore.

Before he realized, he had swam for a full day, with nothing on his person that could keep him energized in the journey as he was surrounded by nothing but water...

...only to be greeted by a sudden wave of water crashing down on him.

In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea for him to challenge himself swimming across the sea with an ever constant thunderstorm above him.

He wasn't hurt per say. In fact, that tidal wave helped him quite a bit in reaching his destination.

There was just one issue once he arrived at shore.

He couldn't move, like at all.

Simply put, his hunger had finally caught up to him at the time, rendering him immobile despite his sense of touch grasping the solid ground.

He simply laughed at the situation he was in, not quite worried despite the circumstances of it all.

Then, a smaller wave of water washed all over him, leaving piles of sand scattered about with him right under it.

It was only then he could do nothing but close his eyes, his strength slowly sapping away from the starvation.

That was as far as his memories could recall before his thoughts were startled by a clearly shaking Itto pointing his finger towards him.

"Alright, stop it with the screaming. The guy's not a ghost! And you...it's rude not to introduce yourself, don't you think?"

Realizing that Itto was referring to him, he decided to give a response, "I'm Goku. Who are you guys supposed to be?"

"You must really be from the boonies if you've never heard of the Arataki Gang, and me, their leader," Itto complained upon seeing Goku's cluelessness of their identity.

"Hey boss, why don't we introduce ourselves to this guy?" one of them suggested, the color in his face returning to normal after realizing Goku was in fact very much alive.

Upon hearing the idea, Itto beckoned the other three into a huddle, and gave hushed whispers to one another as they began discussion.

"We could try that routine we've been practicing on for a while," another added.

The last one somewhat disagreed, remembering another member's comment on their recent endeavour, "But didn't Shinobu said that it looked stupid?"

"As the leader of the Arataki Gang, I say we just go for it. Shinobu is...well, she's second in command and she does call some of the shots here, but I'm still top dog, so what I say goes. Right now, I say we do the thing we've been practicing for."

Goku merely blinked in confusion as the four broke formation, before one of them stepped forward, stopping in place for several seconds while he had no idea what was going on at the moment.

That was until one of them started posing.

"Akira!" he yelled out, holding the edge of his straw hat confidently as he stood upright.

The next member gave a half squat before presenting both his arms wide open to his left, "Genta!"

"Mamoru!" the one on the left said as he struck another pose where bended his body forwards, with one hand touching the ground and the other way above it.

"Arataki 'Numero Uno' Itto!" he proclaimed confidently as he positioned himself in the middle, his arms in front of chest with a wild grin accompanying it.

"—and that makes us the Arataki Gang!"

With all four members standing in their poses, Goku could only utter one response to what he had just seen.

"Why are you guys standing around like that?"

"We were introducing ourselves. Great isn't it? Thought it up myself," Itto boasted proudly.

Goku however, unintentionally pointed out something the four had never considered up until now, "Isn't it easier just to say out your name instead without doing all that just now?"

Itto almost reeled back at such a question, for he had no true answer to it. Still, he quickly held up his cool as he gave a response, "Sure, it's easier, but you gotta leave a good impression on people. So, what better way for them to remember the name of the Arataki Gang than showing them an introduction that beats all introductions."

"...But it looks pretty silly if you ask me," he commented as he tried to copy Itto's pose, only to fail as he didn't have the energy to do so.

Itto did not notice the martial artist's struggle as he was too focused on his comment, "Silly? No...you just haven't realized the greatness of it. You'll see, once we practice a bit more and try it out on others they'll totally recognize the Arataki Gang with just a single glance."

"Wait, we still have to practice for this?" The one named Akira questioned, scratching the back of his head.

"I was kinda hoping that was the end of it. Last practice made my entire back sore," Genta added.

Itto intentionally ignored their words as he focused on the person before instead, "What kind of a name is Goku anyway? You gotta put a little extra something there you know. That way, nobody would ever forget you if you have an awesome intro like ours."

"Sorry about that then, but..."

Goku could not complete his sentence as he felt his entire body falling forward, his face planting itself onto the soft sands.

The four were startled by the action, especially since they saw the person before was acting so casually just a moment ago.

It all then became clear when they heard the loud growling noise coming from said person.

"Looks like I'm still out of energy right now," Goku said despite being muffled by the sand in his mouth.

Strangely enough, the members of the Arataki Gang immediately understood Goku's plight, as they too had experienced such hunger before.

Mamoru was the first to speak up, "Hey boss, why don't we treat him to some roasted lavender melons?"

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea Mamoru," Itto said aloud before positioning himself to Goku's level, "You're in luck my friend, usually we don't let non-members join our roasting session, but I think we can make an exception for someone that is down on their luck."

And just like that, Itto picked the martial artist by the shoulder as they began walking off to a place unknown to one Son Goku.

"Hey hey hey, save some for the rest of us! I get that you're hungry and all, but I would like to enjoy some lavender melons myself, thank you very much!" Itto complained aloud as he swiped one of the sticks that Goku was holding on among the many that he had.

Goku simply let out a cheeky smile as he continued to indulge on the food before him, with bits of lavender melons splattered across his mouth as the other members of the Arataki Gang merely looked at him in awe for eating so much since the food was cooked.

Currently the five of them have settled down in a small area a bit away from Hanamizaka, with a bonfire being started up as they all sat on the ground enjoying the food.

"Fwaah, that wasn't so bad. Wished there were more of them though," Goku said as he finished the last portion of his lavender melons,

Itto reeled in a bit of his annoyance as he wanted take more bites out of the now non-existent food, but instead decided to ask the newcomer something else, "Not trying to be nosy or anything, but I gotta ask... what were you doing sleeping under all that sand nearby Hanamizika?"

Goku blinked in confusion, "Hanamiwhat—? Ehehe, I'm not really sure where I am."

"Seriously? I kinda figure you're someone not from Inazuma but you gotta know where you are at least. You're at Hanamizaka! The place near Inazuma City! Ringing any bells for you?"

Goku's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the name, as it was the place he had been searching for the past few days, "Eh!? So, this is Inazuma City?"

He did not elaborate any further, but instead jumped high up into the air, leaving the Arataki gang members in disbelief at seeing such a display.

As Goku lingered in the air, he could see the many buildings in the nearby city, but there was one object among them that caught his eyes.

It was a giant statue, its likeness similar to the one he saw on Watatsumi Island despite its bigger size, yet it was the appearance of another person altogether accompanied by ...an interesting flow of energy emanating from it.

He did not need to observe more to know that this Raiden Shogun was definitely here.

Once he landed back onto the ground, Itto let out an impressed whistle, "You seriously got some strong legs there. What's getting you so excited anyway?"

It was a valid question. After all, it wasn't everyday they meet an outsider from Inazuma, especially so due to the Sakoku Decree being in effect.

"Nothing much. It's just I finally arrived at where I wanna be," he responded happily.

Itto rose one of his eyebrows, "Where you wanna be? What, Inazuma City?"

Goku nodded vigorously, his smile becoming ever wider the longer he stared at the city.

Finally, he could meet this Raiden Shogun himself.

Itto then shrugged his shoulders, "Can't say I get what's got you so excited…I mean, Inazuma City is big and all, but there's other places to look at as well."

"Well, this place is where this Raiden Shogun lives right?" Goku said bluntly.

The mention of the Electro Archon caused all of them to tense up, all except for Itto of course.

Rather than being wary, that question caught his attention.

"Why do you want to know that?"

There was a slight shift in Itto's tone, one of interest more than anything else.

"I wanna talk with her, that's all."

"You want to talk to the Electron Archon, just like that? You know, the big shot of Inazuma?"

Without missing a beat, Goku immediately followed up Itto's question with one word.

"Yup."

There was a moment of silence between the two, with Goku showing a nonchalant grin while Itto slowly grasping his words in quiet contemplation.

The other three that were watching on the sidelines however, were very much panicking on what they were witnessing.

It was not because they still believed the martial artist was some sort of ghost tricking them into trusting him so easily.

It was also not because they thought this Goku person they just met was crazy, due to the fact that he wanted to waltz into the place and meet the Shogun of all people.

Rather, it was because—

"AHA...HAHAHAHAAH! That is the best thing I have heard in a while!"

—their boss would almost definitely take a liking to Goku.

They all let out a sigh, for they knew trouble was already brewing with their boss being so interested in him.

Well, it was at least better than how he was acting earlier.

Plus, this was already expected since this was their boss, Arataki Itto they were thinking about.

The policy of the Arataki Gang was to never let a single moment in life go to waste, after all, and not being interested in this Goku's story would be one of them if they let the matter go.

Goku scratched his head in confusion at Itto's burst of laughter, seeing as what he just said was not anything strange in his eyes.

"So, you're going to meet up with the Electro Archon huh? Must have been some place for you to wash up all the way here...by the way, was your ship wrecked or something?"

"Ship? I swam all the way here so I doubt you'll see any ship nearby."

"Seriously!? Now I gotta know where you came from! Not every day you see someone just deciding to come to Inazuma out of nowhere with nothing on their backs."

In response to his query, Goku simply pointed to the direction he came from, with their eyes lighting up in realization.

"Kannazuka huh? Guess that makes sense. Doesn't explain how you were there, but I don't need to know all the details, right guys?"

Mamoru and the others nodded in agreement, though they were very much looking at Goku with a newfound yet curious look.

Having rested enough, Goku felt it was time that he moved towards his destination.

"Yosh, guess it's time I head out then. Thanks for giving me some food guys, I really needed it to get my strength back."

Just as he took a step forward however, he was stopped by Itto holding him by the shoulder.

"Wow wow wow there buddy, I think it's better if you don't walk straight into Inazuma City like that."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Well...it's because...it's because...you guys mind helping me with explaining?" Itto said as he turned to the others for help in the matter.

Mamoru was the one who decided to explain, "Ahem. Due to the Sakoku Decree, outsiders of Inazuma cannot leave Ritou, and if any of the guards see you here, they are definitely going to think you're going against the decree."

Well, that didn't seem like the worst thing to happen, "Why is that bad?"

"Because the Tenryou Commission are definitely not going to let you off easy," Genta chimed in.

Before he could even know what or who this commission was, Akira had already prepared an answer for him, "Let's just say they can be scary if they want to be."

The members of the Arataki Gang would know. Though they were never the direct focus of the Tenryou Commission because they were mostly harmless, they had very much seen the few instances on how the guards treat outsiders, especially to those that violated the decree enacted.

And it was worlds apart in how the Tenryou Commission treated outsiders compared to the Arataki Gang.

"It's not all too bad, at least you don't have a Vision with you," Itto consoled after giving a once over on Goku's appearance.

"A Vision? What does that have to do with anything?" Goku asked curiously.

As far as he could remember from his talks with Kokomi, there were never instances that having a Vision here would be an issue. In fact, with how she worded, it seemed to be more of a boon than anything else.

So, why was having a Vision suddenly a bad thing?

Itto was caught off guard by Goku's statement, and immediately asked the martial artist just to be sure.

"You seriously don't know?"

Goku shook his head, indicating that he had no idea what they were talking about.

Itto turned to the other members, his eyes pleading for help in explaining once more as he didn't exactly know how to put it in words for their new friend.

Mamoru then began his explanation, "You see...people with Visions in Inazuma has been getting theirs confiscated for a while now, and it's all due to the—"

"—The Vision Hunt Decree! If you're not serving the Shogun, then you say goodbye to your Vision," Akira said, butting into the conversation much to the annoyance of Mamoru.

This...was certainly the first time the martial artist had heard of such a thing.

Then again, he vaguely remembered Kokomi stating decrees, so it probably meant that it was never just one.

Guess she thought it wouldn't be important since he himself did not have a Vision.

"Yeah, it's seriously not good. I mean, even the boss's Vision was taken because of the decree," Genta added in, as he accidentally pushed aside Itto.

Though the young man's comment already stated Itto no longer possessed one, Goku was only focused on a single word, ignoring the rest of them as he asked the leader of the Arataki Gang, "You have a Vision Itto?"

Itto puffed out his chest confidently, "Who do you think I am? Of course I do."

Goku's eyes trailed all over Itto's figure, but no matter how hard he looked, he could not see anything resembling the gem he had seen like with Kokomi, "But I don't see it anywhere?"

"Well...that's cause I uh..."

While one could cover for their leader, Akira was one of the few that rarely did, "Boss lost it a few days ago."

"Akira, you didn't have to say it like that...but he's right, I got mine taken from a certain tengu."

Itto could feel his dissipated frustration slow resurfacing at the thought of just her image.

"I don't get what's so special about those things, you seem fine to me."

Though it was undeniable that they held some sort of elemental power, Goku could not see them as anything more than tiny trinkets.

"That's cause I'm Arataki 'The Strongest Will' Itto, nothing is ever going to keep me down for long! However..."

There was an unusual pause that came from the leader of the four, before he continued on, "Not everyone is as lucky as I am. I've seen a couple of people that had Visions before turned into something else, like becoming another person entirely, if you get what I mean."

Goku's eyes widened upon hearing this new piece of information, as he honestly did not think that these Visions would be so important to the person that possessed one.

It's just another reaffirmation to him that not everything was as he expected at first.

"That just means I need to meet this Raiden Shogun, no matter what."

The pure steel and determination in his eyes more than caught Itto's attention, causing him to give a smirk at such a display.

The trio on the other hand still had no idea what to think of this newcomer, but what they were more worried about was how their leader was going to react...

"Goku my friend, you have a lot more guts than I thought. Guts that I think would fit for a gang like ours."

Ah, so that was what their boss was pitching.

It took a bit for Goku to comprehend his words, but he had only one answer once he fully understood the implications, "You mean join your gang? No thanks."

Itto could almost feel himself losing his footing once over the blunt rejection, "Hey, don't just brush off my invitation like that."

Goku's gaze turned into one of absolute seriousness, staring Itto right in the eyes, "It isn't about whether or not I wanna join, but there are some things I have to settle right now. So, I ain't sure I could join you guys just like that because I might not even be around by then."

"So you've got some stuff you have to do huh? I bet it's with the Electro Archon right? Once everything is settled, you can always just join up with us later."

The martial artist shook his head, "Not just her, but I got a lotta stuff I wanna take care of after this...and I ain't gonna be here when the time comes."

The matter with the Electro Archon was merely the first of many obstacles he needed to overcome.

He was sure there were many to come, but he would nonetheless do all of it just to find a way back to his world.

Was it necessary to do so?

No.

But he was here, right now in the outskirts of Inazuma City because he wanted to, and nothing else.

Upon hearing his reason, Itto contemplated his answer for a bit before he spoke once more, "Tell you what, being a member of the Arataki Gang doesn't mean you always have to be with us all the time."

"It doesn't?"

It wasn't just Goku who voiced out his surprise, but the other members as well.

"Yeah, it's one of the many benefits of being in the Arataki Gang. Besides, just because you're not here doesn't mean you aren't one. Of course, we can work out the details of your membership, how does that sound?"

Though it was nice and all, Goku only had one question in mind, "Hey Itto, why do you want me to join you guys anyway?"

"Heh, let's just say I got a good feeling about you. And whenever I get a feeling like this, I just stick to it. So, made up your mind already? I can't just keep asking and begging here you know? Limited offer! Wait, maybe I should say—"

Goku may not have met Itto for long, not even longer than an hour...yet, there was really only one answer now that he thought about it.

"Sure, I don't mind joining the Arataka Gang."

Itto felt a spark of irritation at the mispronunciation, "Arataki! Repeat after me, A.RA.TA.KI! If you're joining us, then you better get the name right."

Goku's response was to simply laugh it off, something that irritated Itto and confounded the other members even more.

"Argh, just when I wanted to congratulate you...wait, I just got an idea. Since you rejected my invitation earlier and even got the name wrong, I say you deserve a penalty game before you're admitted into our gang."

"Penalty game?" Goku asked.

"Something like a test before you're accepted, and I say we do it with an Onikabuto battle!" Itto declared with much fervor.

Goku did not know what exactly was an Onikabuto, but there was one word that fired him up more than anything else, "Ooh, a battle huh? I'm definitely up for it!"

Before his excitement at the prospect of fighting overwhelmed the martial artist, the more sensible part of him reminded Goku there was something else he had to do first.

"Can we do that after I meet the Raiden Shogun? I kinda don't wanna drag this out any longer than I have to."

Realizing he was sidetracking the discussion, he calmed down as well, "Good point. Guess we'll have to figure out a way to get into the city without alerting the guards."

"We?" Goku questioned.

Itto gave a good slap on the martial artist's back, "Come on Goku, I already decided you're one of us."

Goku didn't even register the sudden slap from Itto, "But didn't you just say I have to do a game first before I'm accepted?"

"Well, uh...that was—"

"What the boss meant to say is that you're already one of us, it's just you gotta do the penalty game first," Mamoru said as he came to the forefront, coming up with an explanation out of nowhere.

"Oh. Okay then," Goku said plainly, accepting the answer.

Itto let out a sigh of relief as he whispered into his subordinate's ear, "Nice save there Mamoru."

Mamoru let out a thumbs up in response, of which he reciprocated as well.

"So, do you guys have any idea how to get into the place?" Goku asked, turning to the other two.

"Well, we could disguise you in one of our uniforms," Genta suggested as he compared the sizes of their clothes to Goku's.

"That's not a bad idea, but aren't the Tenryou Commission super thorough on whoever comes into the city?" Akira noted, having been a witness to many of the inspections that had been conducted before.

"Plus, I don't think we can fool anyone with a hair that is almost as wild as boss's," the last of the trio said, which earned a good smack from Itto at the last comment.

"Doesn't that all take way too long? I could just jump straight into the building instead," Goku said after hearing all of their suggestions.

All of them stared at the martial artist like he was crazy to have such a thought...until they remembered that he had just performed a ridiculous feat just now.

"Hey, that might just work. Plus, it fits right into our style, don't you guys think?" Itto said as he turned to the others, who nodded in agreement.

"So...do I just jump into the biggest building there?" Goku asked as he squinted his eyes, judging the distance from here to his destination.

It wasn't impossible, but he would probably need a trunk or something to stand on when he's in the air.

"The moment you do that, Tenryou guards will just swarm in to arrest you. No my friend, you're still gonna jump, just from another place altogether."

The trio immediately deduced what their leader was implying, which left only Goku feeling lost and confused.

Out in the distance near Hanamizaka, there was a lone figure observing them all too quietly.

"So, I just need to jump from here?" Goku asked, staring at the tall cliff in front of him.

After the Arataki Gang's non-verbal agreement on a location, they then led Goku along the shoreline, which meant going around the outskirts of Inazuma City instead of going into it.

Not only that, the further along they went, the noticeably higher the city became to the point that they could not access the area without climbing said cliff first.

"You betcha. All you have to do from here is jump as high as you can to reach the top. The moment you get there, you just have to sneak around the place and find the Raiden Shogun herself. Easy, right?"

Goku was very much on the same wavelength as Itto, "Yeah, this will be easy!"

"Good luck man, we'll watch your match with boss when you get back."

"Yeah yeah, we can hang out after that too."

"Heh, don't think you'll win if you challenge us though, boss isn't the only one that knows a thing or two about games."

Just as he was about to take off after giving them a happy nod, the friendly atmosphere was interrupted by a new voice.

"STOP, IN THE NAME OF THE TENRYOU COMMISSION!" A man shouted aloud.

As they all turned to the source of the noise, they were greeted by the sights of several men running towards them from far away.

"Ahh, it's the Tenryou Commission!"

"How the heck did they even find us out here?"

"Must have been one of them patrolling the place! Gah, I knew we should have been more careful."

Thankfully, despite the guards spotting the Arataki Gang, they could not exactly determine the number of individuals in such a distance.

Upon seeing them, Goku was about to step in and intervene...until Itto stopped him.

"Just leave it to us Goku, you can go ahead and meet the Electro Archon."

"But what about you guys?"

"Heh, don't worry too much. I don't think they can arrest us this time, I mean...it wasn't like we were doing anything illegal," Itto reasoned, as for once, they technically didn't break the law.

Probably.

"So, we'll distract them and once I give a signal, you just get out of here as fast as you can."

Goku thought of his options at the moment, but ultimately decided to trust in Itto's words.

With their new member agreeing to the arrangement, Itto let out a confident strive as he beckoned the trio, "Alright, time for the Arataki Gang to show our stuff!"

As the men came closer and closer, Itto called out to them, "Hey gentlemen! You're just in time to see the most glorious thing you'll ever find in your life!"

The guards stopped for a moment, wary that the Arataki Itto would pull out something off his sleeve to escape.

Thus, the Arataki Gang begun...introducing themselves once more.

"Akira!" the young man yelled out, holding the edge of his straw hat confidently as he stood upright.

The next member gave a half squat before presenting both his arms wide open to his left, "Genta!"

"Mamoru!" he said as he struck another pose where he bent his body forward, with one hand touching the ground and the other way above it.

"Arataki 'Gotcha' Itto!" he proclaimed confidently as he positioned himself in the middle, his arms in front of chest with a wild grin accompanying it.

Stunned by the ridiculousness of the situation, the guards tried to ignore what they just saw as they continued running towards the Arataki Gang.

Just as the guards were about to reach them however, Itto steadied himself as he reeled his head backwards until he could see nothing but the sky…

…only to then slam his forehead hard right onto the very ground they were standing on.

A cloud of dust burst forth from the very impact, obscuring what the guards could see from their position.

Realizing that this was the signal that Itto was talking about, Goku immediately leapt high up into the air, and within the span of several seconds, he was able to land at the very top of the cliff.

As he took one final glance at Itto and the others, he saw that the guards had already arrived near the group, but no matter how long his gaze lingered onto them, it didn't seem like a fight would break out anytime soon.

Guess it was one more reason for him to see this through.

Tenshukaku, the residence of the most exalted one in all of Inazuma. Standing tall on the highest point in the city, it watched over all that was under the Electro Archon's dominion.

And in the innermost chamber of Tenshukaku, laid the Raiden Shogun.

She, who presided over all of Inazuma, looked over each matter with one goal in mind.

Eternity.

And to do so, the Vision Hunt Decree was enacted to collect the Visions of those that possessed one.

Half a year had passed since then, and a little more than sixty Visions had been inlaid onto the Statue of the Omnipresent God.

Yet, the pursuit of eternity continued on.

There were still many that defied the current decree, desperately hoping to hold on to their Vision.

Pointless.

The one that held a fraction of her attention in this regard was the Resistance, but she found no need to personally intervene as she had merely heard of it once in passing.

After considering the level of threat, she determined that this little resistance would be unable to bring about change of any sort, for it was merely delaying the inevitable.

For now, she would continue to only address matters that would relate to eternity, nothing more and nothing less.

Just as the silence within Tenshukaku continued to settle in, the peace was immediately destroyed as an abnormality came into the scene.

One that not even the Raiden Shogun herself could have foreseen.

A part of the wall within the chamber crumbled apart, with pieces of it exploding as someone rolled on the ground and into the chamber.

She remained impassive as she merely observed the situation, but her focus was very much on what was in front of her.

"Blergh! I didn't know the wood here would be so easy to break," one Son Goku said as he stood up from the wreckage he had accidentally caused.

"Who are you to dare trespass Tenshukaku?"

Upon hearing her voice, the young man's gaze now focused on her, a clueless look adorned on his face.

"Ehehe, sorry about that. I was having trouble sneaking around since I couldn't figure out where exactly was I just now."

His eyes then wandered around his new surroundings, until they finally settled on her as a look of realization struck the young man.

"Hey...you're the Raiden Shogun right?" He asked, pointing his right index finger towards her.

An outsider that wishes to have an audience with her?

How absurd.

However, she still had to ascertain him further, so for now, she would answer his foolish question.

"You are correct, yet I do not see the relevance in your question."

His expression remained relaxed as he waved at her in a friendly manner, "Hi there, name's Goku. I'm not exactly from around here, you know?"

Regardless, pleasantries were a waste of time.

"State your query. To the point."

It was then and there his expression changed to one of seriousness, "Stop whatever you're doing to the people around here, especially those decree things."

To brazenly challenge the authority of the Electro Archon…

"And what right do you have to demand such a thing from me?"

"I don't. But even someone like me can see that not everyone around here is happy with what you're doing."

To believe in such sentiments….

"The world remains constant as time marches on. Human lives are fleeting, as they would never overcome the test of time. For that alone, what reason would I have to placate them? "

"So, you aren't going to stop then huh?"

Her silence was the sole affirmation that Goku needed, as he let out a chuckle, "Heh, I kinda knew this from the start... but, I just had to ask anyway you know? Well, the only thing left is just to make you understand through the one thing I know best then."

Then, he shifted into a basic stance, one that was obviously full of holes that anyone would be eager to exploit.

A lesser fighter would have immediately attacked upon seeing such a faulty stance. She however, saw otherwise and recognized the opponent before her was a threat.

A threat that was in opposition to eternity.

That reason alone was enough for his termination, amongst the sea of transgressions for trespassing on Narukami Island.

"You, who challenges me...will be struck down."

A flicker of lightning sparked across the air as a naginata hung on the wall was flung into her hand.

It was only an instance, but she saw her would-be opponent flashed a smile at such a simple display.

What foolishness.

Chapter Text

Everything turned still within the innermost chamber of Tenshukaku, as an ongoing staredown was transpiring between one young martial artist and the ruler of Inazuma.

Goku could not help but be both excited and anxious of the battle that was about to occur, his entire body shivering at such a prospect.

He did not know why he felt like this, yet he couldn't contain them either. It was just who he was.

What he did know however, was that the opponent before him was...strong.

Whether or not she was stronger than anyone he had met in life up until this point remained to be seen.

That was why he had been looking forward to this battle.

The silence broke as the Raiden Shogun made the first move, charging towards him at a speed that caught even him off guard.

Luckily for the martial artist, he was able to react just in time as he backed away from a sweeping slash from his opponent.

The Shogun did not give him any time to consider his next move as she immediately followed up with a forward stab, of which he quickly moved to the side, where strands of his hair were cut by the curved blade of the naginata.

Goku retaliated by taking a step forward, before letting out a roundhouse kick that was aimed at her upper body.

The Shogun simply ducked right under the strike, and repositioned her weapon as she went in for another hit.

Foreseeing such an attack, Goku evaded it as he slightly shifted his body to the left, allowing him another chance to counterattack.

These small exchanges of back and forth continued on for several minutes, with neither successfully landing a solid hit on the other.

As the two continued in their efforts to take down one another, Goku was also using this time to observe each and every movement of his opponent in an attempt to figure out her fighting style.

He was no expert practitioner of weapons like the one the Shogun was using, but if there was one thing that was clear to the martial artist, it was that...

She was fast.

Yes, he was keeping up with her, but he could hardly say he was readily outpacing her either. In fact, it was a first for him fighting with this much rapidity going on.

Certainly, he had matches that came close to such interactions as well, but never one to the extent that he barely had time to even breathe.

Not even the one with Piccolo gave him such little leeway or room to maneuver himself in battle. The supposed demon king was vicious in his assaults, but the Electro Archon was nothing but efficient, yet at the same time just as relentless as the former.

Every one of her moves were executed in such a way that he was only able to respond with basic strikes and kicks. If it weren't for his training at the Sanctuary, he would have been on the receiving end right about now.

The worst, or perhaps the best part...was that she hadn't even begun to get serious yet.

Obviously, they were both testing out one another at the moment, but Goku felt that it was about time for him to step it up a notch.

Not just him either, as he was going to force his opponent to do the same thing as well.

Goku leapt backwards as another slash from the Shogun missed its target, and proceeded to clap both his hands together.

Sparks of electricity began to gather around his palms as he slowly removed them, with the Shogun being mostly unresponsive by what was going on as she simply went through the same motion she did before by charging ahead.

This lasted...until he released a blast of lightning towards her, prompting her to react by putting her guard up.

It hit her directly, yet it merely slowed her down for only but a moment, before she eventually disregarded his attack almost entirely.

Seeing this, Goku put more energy into the technique as the intensity of the lightning continued to escalate. Despite that however, the Shogun merely took his technique head on as she went in to close the distance between them, and in the span of a second, Goku was now within the range of her weapon.

Realizing this, he stopped the technique as quickly as he could and backed away from the Shogun's wide slash. The moment his feet touched the ground, he quickly leapt forward to let out a right hook.

In the midst of connecting his punch, Goku noticed trails of lightning sparking in the air.

When he took note of it, however, it was already too late for him to realize that those did not come from the lightning that lingered from his technique...

Rather, it came from the Shogun.

An explosion of lightning erupted right under him in an arc that was the exact same as the slash she had just executed.

Goku could do nothing but be lifted into the air from the blast, sending him hurtling away from his opponent. Though it stung a bit, Goku was able to rebalance himself as he backflipped back onto the ground, his eyes visibly focused on the area of the attack just now.

"No wonder my technique didn't work just now."

It was because she was better at manipulating that particular element than he ever could, considering how only recently was he able to use this technique proficiently.

Guessed there was a reason he kept hearing people calling her the Electro Archon.

Still, even if it didn't work, it was still good confirmation on what worked and what didn't.

Besides, it seemed like she was finally getting a bit more serious about this fight, which was what he wanted from the attempt just now.

"Tell me, what do you plan to achieve from this skirmish?" his opponent suddenly spoke for the first time since the beginning of this battle.

"Skirmish? Oh, you're talking about this fight...but I don't really get what you're trying to say?" Goku answered honestly, not quite getting what she was trying to convey.

She did not let out a sigh nor express annoyance at his question, merely explained, "Do you believe that by defying what has already been decreed, you would achieve what you set out for?"

"...I mean, it's not like if I beat you then you would suddenly stop or anything...I already know that, but that doesn't mean I can't at least try," Goku declared seriously as he shifted into a basic stance.

The Shogun did not give him a verbal response, rather one in the form of action as electro gathered around her naginata, particularly on the metallic part of her weapon.

Both of them moved towards one another simultaneously, with Raiden preparing an upward slash while Goku readied his right fist.

"HAH!"

An invisible blast of ki traveled forth as he extended his right arm, hitting the Shogun dead center. Though it connected, his opponent stood her ground as she swung her weapon right at him, as if the force that she just experienced was non-existent.

True to form, he dodged it once again and outstretched his left arm, preparing to attack...only to stop mid-swing.

Before he could readjust himself for another attack, her naginata had already closed the distance between as descended upon him, forcing him to roll to the side in order to evade it.

This pattern repeated itself several times over, and every time Goku was about to go in for the attack, he simply wasn't able to…or more specifically, he couldn't.

It was mainly due to the trails of lightning that were now following along the arc of her swings, lingering in mid-air for only but an instance. However, it was that very small instance that allowed Goku to realize that in terms of direct combat, he was now in a disadvantageous position.

Before, there was a gap he could exploit every time she swung her weapon, it was what gave him the opening to land a counterattack.

Now, with these streams of electro energy blocking his way, the gap that existed before had disappeared.

If he wanted to attack, then he would have to endure the ever existing trails of lighting behind every one of those slashes. The issue was that even if he was able to get past them, there was no guarantee his attack would connect, as shown by the beginning of the fight.

Goku's fists...could no longer reach the Shogun.

Fine, he'll just have to make them fly instead.

Gathering ki into both his arms, he punched the air several times, each one in a different direction even if he was not physically hitting anything solid.

The Shogun did not think much of it until she felt an invisible pressure heading towards her, and quickly came to the realization this was the result of her opponent's action just now as she deflected the attack.

From Goku's perspective, it seemed like the technique was not completely effective, seeing that the Raiden Shogun was blocking most, if not all of his attacks.

Though they were invisible, they were still far too slow to catch her off guard. Adding the fact that it would drain his ki a lot if he continued to use this throughout this fight didn't help either.

Still, this was enough.

Goku leapt off into the air as he moved forward, bending both his legs before delivering a swift dropkick onto his opponent.

The moment his feet came into something solid, he did not feel it connecting with his opponent, rather a cold yet electrifying sensation permeating the sole of his boots instead.

It was then and there he noticed the reason he had completely stopped mid-air.

A barrier made completely of electro surrounded the Raiden Shogun, as if it was trying to say it rejected anything and everything that dared approached her.

Try as he might, he could not make a dent on it.

Just as he was about to take off to reposition himself, the Shogun took him by surprise as she simply deactivated the shield, causing him to lose his footing on the shield.

With nothing holding him up in the air any longer, Goku was subjected to the incoming assault that the Shogun was about to unleash.

Unable to respond in any way shape or form, a whirlwind of slashes rained down upon him as the Shogun spun in place, accompanied by lightning twisting around her position as she swung her naginata with precision and strength, each hit striking the martial artist who was left to endure it by himself.

As Goku was sent flying into the air as bits and pieces of his clothes scattered from the cut, he quickly recovered as he concentrated a heavy amount of his ki into his right fist, before extending it towards the Shogun.

This time around, Goku gathered most of his ki into this one attack as he sent it flying straight at his opponent.

Recognizing what was about to occur, the Raiden Shogun simply held her weapon defensively as the floor beneath her was smashed, causing pieces of the floorboard to fall apart as dust clouds appeared.

Landing back onto the ground, Goku's eyes maintained focus on the silhouette of his opponent, waiting for any sort of movement that would reveal her next attack.

No matter how long he stared at the scene before him, there were no signs of her doing...anything at all. This carried on until the dust finally settled, allowing him to have a good look at the Electro Archon once more.

As expected, she remained unperturbed despite the strongest ki attack he had thrown so far, demonstrated by her apathetic demeanor.

There was only one technique that was more destructive than what he had just displayed, but he had something to say to the Electro Archon before he was even thinking of using it.

"Hehe, you're just as strong as everyone says you are...no, probably even more. One thing I don't get though is why are you doing something so horrible to the people here? You don't look like a bad person to me," he asked seeing that the Shogun wasn't exactly attacking him right now.

What he said just now was simply what he believed, as her straightforward fighting style more than spoke for her character. He couldn't quite describe it but he always had a good idea of someone's personality after fighting them for a while.

Then again, he couldn't quite get a feel for her ki either. It was one of those things he had learnt from Kami, was that ki sense by itself allows one to somewhat determine a person's nature.

Still, the issue wasn't that he couldn't figure out the nature of her ki, rather he couldn't sense it at all.

It was strange, he could feel some sort of transparent pressure coming from her, but no matter how hard he focused on it, he detected everything around him but her.

He was sure his ki sense was working, so his best guess was there was something about the Raiden Shogun that made him unable to.

"And why does that concern you?"

"It concerns me cause the people you're involving include my new friends...plus, I just don't like what's been going on ever since I got here."

"A foolish notion then," she stated, disregarding his reasoning.

"And why's that?"

"You are an outlander, by what right do you have to interfere in matters that concern Inazuma? Simply because you have experienced camaraderie, one that is as fleeting as the wind?"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I can just leave without doing anything. I've seen enough of the things that's been going on here, that's why I'm here to make you stop."

He may not know many things, but he knew that whatever was going on in Inazuma felt…wrong. He had no desire of simply abandoning the people he befriended just because of his current goal.

It just wouldn't sit well with him.

"Then you seek to resolve matters that oppose the pursuit of eternity."

"You keep talking about this eternity thing...and I've heard about it once from Kokomi too. Is that really all you care about? Cause I don't get what's so important that you have to hurt the people around here."

Goku couldn't believe how dismissive she was of human lives.

Was this truly what a God was supposed to be like?

The only other one he knew personally was Kami, but there was a stark contrast when comparing the two deities.

Kami wanted to protect the Earth, so much so he had split himself into two beings, one good and the other bad. It was clear that was the truth considering Goku was being trained to battle the newly reincarnated Piccolo at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai.

The Raiden Shogun however...from what he saw, he could not feel good nor evil from her, almost like she was devoid of any emotion as all she concerned herself with was eternity, and nothing else.

There had to be something more he wasn't getting here.

"...Considering your utterance of Sangonomiya, I have now confirmed you are involved with the rebels. As such, you will be dealt with accordingly, with nothing more to discuss."

Goku readied himself for anything that she could throw at her, but was perplexed by what he was about to see with his own eyes.

It was a shard of some sort, floating in the air as the Shogun spun her naginata around, trails of lightning bouncing across the floor around it.

It wasn't until the very same object unleashed a wave of electro energy around it did he figure out its purpose.

The martial artist simply jumped into the air in order to dodge the attack. What he didn't know however was that it had been the Shogun's plan in the first place.

"There is no escape," she declared menacingly as she swiped her left arm.

At that moment, Goku saw a symbol of some kind appear before her, before it dissipated into nothingness, followed along by bits of electro energy being dispersed into the air.

While the strange symbol disappeared, an identical looking one appeared once more...only this time, it was significantly smaller and situated right above the Raiden Shogun's head.

Once he got a better look at it, the shape of the symbol seemed similar to that of an eye, but what held his attention more was the thin circle of purplish light accompanying it, almost akin to a ring behind the Shogun. What that meant however, was lost on him as he was more interested in what this would entail in the fight.

He didn't need to wonder for long the purpose of her action just now as a rift suddenly appeared above him out of nowhere.

After materializing, the gap widened itself as a slash composed of electro energy struck him in the back, and upon doing so, pushed him back onto the ground.

And just as Goku was about to steer himself for a safe landing, he realized that it would be a mistake to do so as the electro waves had not stopped spreading across the entire chamber.

...In fact, it was pulsating still, unleashing wave by wave.

Hurriedly, he placed one arm onto the ground, using it as an anchor to prevent the rest of his body from touching the floor. Upon doing so, Goku flinched from the surge of electro passing through his body, before setting aside the pain as he twisted his arm around.

Right before another wave came upon him, he launched himself towards the Raiden Shogun.

Just as he was about to land an attack of his own, the small rift appeared once more beside him, unleashing another thunderous slash on his person..

Left with little options, Goku changed his course of action by cupping both his arms before stretching them forward, "Hah!"

A small energy blast was let loose between his palms as it headed straight towards the Raiden Shogun.

She remained unphased by such a feeble attempt, as she saw there was no need to put up her guard, yet Goku's aim was not to hit her, but to propel himself backwards through the ki blast.

Because of that, he was able to escape her attack successfully.

There was no moment to rest however, as he was greeted by another sight of the ever pulsating wave, forcing him to retreat once more.

And as he did so, another rift appeared before him, of which he responded by jumping to the side in order to escape its strike.

Goku had no choice but to redouble his efforts in just dodging the coordinated attacks of both the strange shard and the ever disappearing rift.

The longer he did so however, the more he realized that they were slowly cornering him ever so slightly, until the possibility of being hit simultaneously could easily become a certainty.

There had to be something he could do to flip the situation around.

But what exactly could he do?

So far, he had found a lot of things he was lacking against his current opponent.

In terms of speed, he and the Shogun were neck and neck, with one neither being clear cut in terms of who was faster.

On the topic of strength, neither of them had gone all out just yet, but even that he felt uncertain on who would come out on top.

So what did he lack?

Range.

It was an indisputable fact that the Raiden Shogun had a variety of techniques that could keep him at bay from a distance. Not only that, her naginata was more than several times longer than his arm, making it considerably easy for her attacks to reach him than his to hers.

Of course, he had fought opponents that wielded weapons in the past, but never before someone he would consider a master at. Usually, he was able to overcome them despite the disparity of range but the Shogun was on a different level entirely.

He also no longer had the Nyoibo by his side, the weapon he had used before in his journey, what with it being used as a bridge of sorts from Korin Tower to the Sanctuary. If he did have it, he was sure he could have at least even up the situation by now, as it was more than capable of handling the Shogun's weapon.

The one technique he had come up with to try and overcome this weakness came to be ineffective as well, which did not help in the matter.

Despite the situation he found himself in, Goku was letting out an easygoing smile, as it was simply because this fight was too fun for him, something he had not experienced for a few years now.

Still, he needed to restrain his emotions a bit as this was most certainly not the time for it.

Sidestepping another slash, an idea finally came into form within the inner workings of Goku's mind.

And he was more than eager to try it out.

Bending both his legs, Goku waited for the exact moment to jump the distance. The moment he heard the sound of a rift being opened, he leapt off into the direction of the Shogun, dodging both attacks simultaneously by doing so.

He then cupped both his hands, awaiting for the next attack to descend upon him. The martial artist was confident in the timing of the incoming attack as his body had become somewhat accustomed to the intervals of when it would start to strike.

Turned out, he was right.

As one rift opened up, situated right where he was heading towards to, Goku immediately turn to his left as he fired off a ki blast

This, in turn changed the direction of his momentum as he escaped another attack by sending himself towards the walls of the chamber.

Using it as a platform, Goku leapt off once more...only this time, he was aiming himself towards the location of the Raiden Shogun at a speed that even those rifts could not keep up with.

Upon witnessing this, his opponent raised her arm as she prepared to strike him down, an action that he had anticipated. Meanwhile, Goku pulled his right arm back, readying to throw a solid punch to counter the Shogun's attack.

As the two clashed, the Shogun's Naginata was the one that had reached him first as she let out a quick upper slash.

The blade simply sliced right through him, and it was then that she came to the realization...

It was not his real body.

The image of Son Goku faded past her like a mist, letting her now know that it had been a simple afterimage technique.

Hearing the strange noise around her, the Shogun turned around as she checked her surroundings, and was greeted by the sight of multiple images of Goku all around her, each one in ridiculous poses hanging in the air.

Another rift opened up near one of the images, rendering them with a single slash.

It seemed that even her Eye had issues determining the real one.

The Shogun quickly surmised that it was a diversion, one that was probably aimed at her when her attention was focused on these afterimages.

She was partly right, as one Son Goku was clinging to the ceiling of the chamber, planting both his feet firmly into them.

Goku scanned the area below him for a split second, and did not let out a single sound as he descended from above.

By the time the Shogun determined his new whereabouts, it was already too late for her to retaliate as for the first time in the battle, she was the one who had to back away entirely in order to dodge his attack.

The martial artist opened his right palm as he touched the pristine yet solid floor, before turning his wrist around as he threw himself into another direction.

It was not towards the Raiden Shogun, rather...

The unusual shard that had been the source of all those waves of electro.

Once he reached its general location, he immediately kicked it right up into the air, causing it to spin around wildly.

Without missing a beat, he quickly jumped upwards, dodging yet another rift and kicked it as strong as his leg would allow, shooting it straight at his opponent.

The shard was hurtling at an alarming pace, one that not even the Shogun would be indifferent to if hit. The Raiden Shogun simply stopped it with a gesture of her hand, halting it midway as sparks of lightning dispersed from it.

With her eyesight somewhat obscured by the shard, she could not see where her opponent was. This was soon remedied as the shard suddenly broke into pieces from an invisible force.

As the pieces of the shard fell, she was now able to see Goku's current whereabouts, only to be faced by the martial artist charging straight at her, almost as if he had anticipated this.

No matter, she would simply cut him down the moment he was within range.

Goku did not stop at all despite the clear indication that the Raiden Shogun was readying for another attack.

That was before he stopped himself, placing both his hands towards the forehead with his fingers spread toward his eyes.

He then yelled out a peculiar phrase.

"TAIYOKEN!"

A flash of overwhelming white light enveloped the whole area the two were in, blinding the Raiden Shogun.

Upon seeing the Shogun's reaction to the technique, it was a relief to him that it actually worked on her, adding to the fact that he would probably have to apologize to Tenshinhan for using a technique of his once he get back to his own world.

Still, this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

In spite of her closed eyes, the Electro Archon was still focused enough to strike back as she swung her naginata right in his general location..

Goku couldn't help but be impressed by her strong concentration and will. Despite catching her off guard, the Raiden Shogun still remained composed enough to execute her next move in a calm manner.

Most other fighters weren't capable of what she was doing.

But as strong as she was, there was a noticeable drop in the speed of her swing, allowing him to easily bypass her attack.

Gripping his fist tightly, Goku went in for an all out attack as he began striking her with everything he had in his disposal.

"YATTATATA—"

With each and every hit onto the Raiden Shogun, Goku knew that his attack was visibly affecting his opponent in some way, yet she did not express any sort of outward pain or emotion of any sort in response.

Withdrawing his right arm for only a second, Goku then punched the Shogun in the gut with everything he could muster as he sent her flying back onto the middle end of the chamber.

The result of the final hit was the collapse of the entire wall coming down upon her due to the strong amount of force he had just put out.

Despite landing such a successful attack, Goku did not exhibit any sense of excitement of what he had just done as he could make out that something was off.

When he was attacking the Raiden Shogun just now, it didn't feel like he was hitting a human at all. He didn't quite know how to explain it if truth be told, but if there was a comparison that he could make, then it was like he was fighting one of those robots he had fought in the past.

Just then, the sliding door behind opened as several men came rushing into the room, each of them dressed in the armor he once saw in the Shogun's Army on Kannazuka.

"Pardon our rudeness Your Excellency, we humbly express our apologies for barging in but we couldn't help but notice the commotion that had transpired in the chamber. Because of this, we Okuzumeshuu have—" the man at the front stop, his eyes settling on the young martial artist who had been staring at them weirdly.

Goku blinked in pure confusion, not knowing who they were seeing as it was the first time he had seen a group like this one.

"You! What is an intruder like you doing here in Tenshukaku? Where is the Almighty Shogun!?" the men screamed, glaring at him as the rest of them put up their weapons.

The people here sure like calling someone with a bunch of names, he would probably have a lot of trouble keeping up if they weren't so similar half the time.

"Oh, you mean Raiden? Well, we were fighting just now and I sent her flying into the wall there...well, it used to be there," he explained somewhat apologetically as he gave them an awkward smile

They did not need any further explanation on what their next course of action was.

"Seize him!"

Goku was about to defend himself...until something occurred that shook him to the core.

Something that he had never experienced before.

An immense amount of pressure suddenly enveloped the entire chamber, affecting everyone in it, including the guards that had just arrived.

Many of them were affected by the sudden pressure they were experiencing, some shaking uncontrollably, a few even falling to the ground as they struggled to hold themselves together.

Goku however, merely turned around as he faced the source of it all.

"I knew you weren't done, not in the slightest," Goku stated as he shifted back to a more serious demeanor.

And he was right.

Bursts of lightning were summoned forth around the rubble, crackling ever so loudly as they all slowly but surely convene into one area.

The instant the surges of electro converge, the combined forces of electro exploded as it immediately eradicated the once enormous pile of rubble, revealing the individual that was the sole cause of such display of power.

There was a light that he had not seen before from her person, and it certainly wasn't from the translucent ring that was behind her before, as he could no longer see it anywhere. Thus, he had no clue on what the object she was holding until the dust finally settled.

It was a sword.

Not just any sword, one that evoked the very definition of lightning itself, judging from how wild and uncontrolled the amount of electro energy surging from it was.

It far surpassed the naginata that she was using before.

Not in terms of strength, rather it was almost like it represented the Raiden Shogun as a whole.

There was much more...life to it, if he could put it in a way.

Still, Goku grinned at the sight before him because he knew that this was it.

His opponent had finally decided to go all out.

"Kurgh—"

Goku turned his head towards the guards behind him, seeing that they were still visibly shaken by the intensity that permeated the air around them. Thus, he came to the decision that it was better if they continued this battle elsewhere.

He did so by giving the Raiden Shogun a confident grin as he pointed to the ceiling above, and quickly took off as he jumped upwards.

The Shogun remained silent, simply following suit as she gave one last glance towards the guards.

Goku took in the air around him as he and the Raiden Shogun now stood atop the highest point of Tenshukaku.

As he looked at what was below him, it seemed that everything had become a panic of sorts as there were many guards running around the premise, presumably trying to locate the both of them.

His thoughts were interrupted as the only other individual near him spoke, "Tell me, what is your name?"

It was kinda weird that she only now asked about his identity, "It's Goku."

"Incomplete. I have no need for a designation that is lacking in terms of information."

Goku scratched his head in confusion, as he couldn't quite get behind her reasoning, but complied nonetheless, "Son Goku."

"Son Goku, you are exceptional in the aspect of combat without the use of Vision, and with your affiliation with the rebel Sangonomiya, I hereby declare you an enemy of Eternity. Divine punishment will now be administered."

"Divine punishment?" Goku asked, raising his eyebrow in confusion at her words.

She did not elaborate any further, for she gripped her sword tightly as she dashed towards him on the rooftop.

The distance between them was immediately covered as the sounds of lightning crackled in front of him, prompting him a response in order to escape unscathed.

As he narrowly dodged the slash, Goku quickly realized he had been wrong in his assumption as he felt a stinging pain momentarily pervading his left shoulder.

He had been hit once, and from that alone, he could tell...

The possibility of dying from a slash like that was very real.

Well, he'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen.

Pieces of tiles were flung wildly into the air as the two continued their battle, where both of them were zipping around the entire rooftop, each step taken from both of them destroying the area bit by bit.

To the untrained eye, it would seem like the two were phasing in and out, clashing ever so often, indicating that they were on par with one another.

In actuality, Goku was unable to do anything but to react defensively.

The issues he had been facing before were fighting the Shogun was simply emphasized even more now. He may have reset the status of the fight, but in no way was it in his favor, not in the slightest.

Having been hit by Raiden Shogun several times in the short period he had been on this new battlefield, Goku concluded that there was no point in continuing with fighting like this.

No matter how he looked at it, there was only one possible option left if he wanted to win this fight.

The Kamehameha.

Not a small one, and not one that was fired half-hazardly either, but a completely charged Kamehameha at his full strength.

Goku soared into the clouds above once he saw the slightest opportunity to, leaving the Raiden Shogun to gaze at him from below as he cupped both his arms together.

"KAA—"

A bluish white orb began to materialize, expanding ever so slowly as he maintained the flow of energy within it.

"MEEEEE—"

As he stopped ascending further into the clouds, Goku witnessed something unusual occuring with the Shogun.

A rift, not dissimilar to the one she had used before had opened up behind her, engulfing her whole body before disappearing entirely, taking along the ruler of Inazuma with it.

"HAAAAAAA—"

That meant she could appear anywhere at any moment, and he was more than confident the Shogun was going to be using her strongest attack.

Which was a relief for him, seeing as he didn't exactly want to fire a blast of such magnitude at the direction of Narukami Island, so this worked just fine for him.

Just then, dark clouds began to gather around his general location as lighting flickered across the sky, with thunder booming becoming ever so louder, as if it was accumulating for the climax of a grand event.

So the Raiden Shogun was going for a decisive attack as well, it seemed.

Knowing that there was no point in trying to locate her whereabouts through sensing her ki, Goku closed both his eyes as he relied on his basic senses to find any sort of disturbances in the air while he continued charging the Kamehameha.

"MEEEEEEEEEE—"

One...two...three...

Seconds passed as the orb within his palm expanded continuously from the amount of energy gathered.

He could feel it, this one exchange was going to determine the fight.

The very instant he heard the very familiar noise he had been acquainted with throughout this battle caused him to shift his body to his left, aiming both his arms toward the origin of the noise.

Opening both his eyes, Goku was welcomed by the sight of the Shogun zipping out of the rift, her sword being uncomfortably close to his person.

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Goku finally released the Kamehameha as the energy wave engulfed the Raiden Shogun entirely in its blast as it shot through the sky like a beam of light in darkness.

At first, his opponent was pushed back by the initial force, and continued to do so for a bit, proving that even she couldn't simply just waved off the Kamehameha.

The longer he fired it however, the more he slowly came to a startling realization.

Though it worked at first, the Raiden Shogun was no longer being pushed back by the energy wave, rather standing tall as she endured the blast.

Then she began moving little by little.

With each step forward, lightning crackled even louder than before as it gathered into one source.

Her sword.

As such, even his Kamehameha was slowly being resisted as he could feel the flow of electro coursing through his technique, like it was trying to tear it apart.

It was ridiculous.

Yet...somehow...for some absurd reason.

Goku was letting out a toothy grin at this new development, like the negative ramifications of it did not bother him at all.

All he was focusing on was that he absolutely had to expend every bit of energy that he had, lest he wanted a certainty of his defeat.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Goku yelled out at the top of lungs as his entire body lunged forward.

The wave became even bigger as a result, staggering the Raiden Shogun backwards from the sudden increase in power.

As she struggled to take another step, Goku saw the one action he was not expecting from her.

Her left arm poked outside the range of his Kamehameha as she forcefully pushed it out, accompanied by the sword that she wielded in her hand.

She then started the motion of her slash…

All it took was one instance.

She pushed through the Kamehameha wave despite the clear difficulties she was having before and had somehow escaped his technique, as if time itself had stopped in that one singular moment.

And once she completed her sword technique, she stood right behind him, blade in hand.

Before he could register what was going, blood spluttered from his mouth as multiple bolts of lightning struck him dead center, only for them to not merely hit him, but slashing Goku in all kinds of angles.

Barely hanging onto the air as his condition worsened, Goku was about to turn towards the Raiden Shogun to try and attempt any attack he could muster.

But he was never able to.

A pillar of lightning descended from above as it struck him down, as if the heavens themselves were trying to punish him.

The combined backward force of the Kamehameha wave and the Shogun's sword technique shot him past the Electro Archon and fell into the waters near Narukami Island, with trails of his blood being splattered across the winds of Inazuma.

Once the Raiden Shogun could no longer see the form of Son Goku, she looked up to the sky above, the once dark sky returning back to a calm blue.

"In the end, your reason to fight was transitory, for the only constant is eternity," she proclaimed simply.

But just as she finished that particular sentence, she noticed the use of her left arm had become weak, as she held the blade Musou Isshin with some difficulty.

Perhaps this body needed more adjustments than the one within predicted.

In a location in the middle of the ocean, a single ship could be seen from the shores of Amakane Island, a location north-west of Inazuma City.

And on that peculiar ship, there were many individuals running about, ensuring that their sail was smooth and sailing. Even amidst the number of individuals on it however, there were two that stood out in particular.

"Huh, that was certainly something you don't see everyday. What's your expert take on it, Kazuha?" a woman asked, having seen the sudden change in the clouds just now.

"Though I cannot quite say what exactly was the origin of that beam of light...there is no doubt in my mind that what we witnessed at the end was the Musou no Hitotachi," the young man said with certainty in his tone of voice.

One that was even stronger than what he had perceived the first time, if memory recalled.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked curiously.

"I was able to hear it, the ever distinct sound of that sword technique is a reminder of that fateful day."

The woman folded both her arms across her chest, "If so, guess we got our guy then, hopefully he hasn't gone to the deep end yet. Sangonomiya sure was lucky, asking us for a favor when we were already en route to Watatsumi island. If not, this Goku probably wouldn't have been found at all…then again, she did provide us with a lot of descriptions and possible locations."

"Yes, Her Excellency was very thorough on the many actions of this Son Goku, even having the prediction that his challenge towards the Raiden Shogun would be the highest possibility of them all."

Kazuha was interested in this new individual that had stumbled across the waters of Watatsumi, doubly so since even the divine priestess had personally seen to this matter by asking such a favor from the captain of this ship.

Just from listening to explanations from Her Excellency on the actions that Son Goku had undertaken, he wondered if this individual would be the one to reactivate a Vision that once belonged to his friend?

"We better hurry and get to Inazuma City then. It's gonna be a hassle trying to find this guy if we're too late by then."

And that was even if he was still alive in the first place.

"There should be no trouble in finding his current whereabouts, as I believe a wanderer such as myself has both the eyes and ears in easing the process once we land on shore. "

The implication was not lost on her, as Kazuha obviously wanted to participate in the search, "For a guy who's a fugitive, you sure are relaxed about walking around Inazuma."

Kazuha merely gave her polite smile in response, "Perhaps it is because Captain Beidou and everyone else on the Alcor is beside me this time around, that I have a safe reassurance even if matters go awry."

Beidou simply rolled her eyes, but nonetheless returned his smile. She then called out to the other crew members, issuing their new destination, "Full speed ahead! Men, we're heading to Inazuma City!"

Every member of the crew cheered as they made preparations to increase the speed of their sail, with the captain of said crew standing ever so confidently as she gazed towards their destination, while the fugitive gazed at the boundless sky, reminiscing on events that only he knew of.

"Whew, we sure got out of that one in one piece, right guys?" Genta said in relief, as he turned to the other members of the Arataki Gang.

Currently, the four were still standing on that same spot they were at when they had distracted the Tenryou Commission to help their newest member sneak into Tenshukaku.

Akira nodded in agreement, "Yeah, good thing they couldn't find a good excuse to arrest us for once."

Meanwhile, Mamoru noticed something off with their leader, who had strangely been quiet ever since the Tenryou Commission had left them alone, "Hey boss, what's bothering you?"

Noticing that he was being called by Mamoru,"...when we were having that amazing debate with those guys in the Tenryou Commission earlier, which we totally won by the way, did the sky turn dark for any of you?"

The trio looked towards one another for a brief moment, before turning back to Itto as Mamoru was the first to speak among them, "Yeah, I definitely saw that. I was so scared I wanted to crawl up into a rock and hide myself, especially with all that thunder and lightning going around."

"Was it just me, or did everything become super bright for like a couple of seconds back there?"

"Right? I think even those Tenryou Commission guys were pretty surprised by that...maybe that's why they left early?"

"Heh, that's probably because of our new member Goku," Itto stated as if it were a matter of fact, turning up his nose.

The three blinked, not quite sure their leader was right in that assessment.

Upon seeing their doubtful expression, Itto reassured himself and them that he was no doubt right in his guess, "I mean, who else could have done it guys? Heh, I bet he just had a really great talk with the Electro Archon, and they just decided to duke it out to settle the score."

As he confidently declared such a statement, a loud splashing sound could be heard from their location, causing all four to turn towards the source of the sudden intrusion.

"Boss, do you...think that was Goku just now?"

He could have laughed it off, but his gut was telling him that what Akira said just now could quite possibly be true, "We won't know until we check. Come on!" he beckoned the others as they followed their leader.

As they reached the shore, the Arataki Gang stopped in their tracks as they gazed into the ocean for an abnormality unlike any other they had seen before.

The water before them...were filled with electro energy coursing through it, with sparks flying off the surface of the body of water, accompanied by an ever pulsating ripple in the middle of such a scene.

Itto hesitated upon seeing such a sight, that was...until his eyes settled on a particular spot.

It was stained with blood.

"That's it, I'm diving in," Itto declared in frustration as he took a step forward, dipping his right foot into the water.

The other three tried to stop their leader, as they believed that this action would be too reckless even for him.

Goku struggled to open his eyes as he felt his body drifting into the sea, for all he could see was nothing but the deep ocean's blue.

He tried to move any part of his body, yet it was to no avail.

He could still feel the electro energy coursing through his body, constantly dimming his senses with each passing second.

He had neither strength to move, nor the capacity to ponder anymore. All he could perceive was the cold yet uninviting sensation, and the ever looming darkness beneath him.

He wondered...if this was what his best friend Kuririn thought of when he died?

Goku's thoughts ceased as he slowly closed both his eyes, submerging himself even deeper into the endless ocean.

Chapter Text

On the shores of Narukami Island, a young woman could be seen walking about by herself, her eyes wandering around the area while looking for a particular group she was deeply associated with.

Her name was Kuki Shinobu.

If one were to give her a moniker, then she herself would say that the most fitting one would be deputy leader.

The deputy leader of the Arataki Gang.

Her current objective was to find out what exactly her gang had gone off to, as the last she had seen of them was when she was observing them at the outskirts of Hanamizaka with an individual she had never seen before, but ultimately disregarded it as she had other matters to attend to earlier in the day.

Now that her prior engagement was done, she had walked back to Hanamizaka, only to find the rest of the Arataki Gang had completely disappeared.

After asking the residents there, it seemed that Itto and the rest of the gang had moved deeper into the city, only underneath instead of inside.

...alongside a number of patrolling officers, notably from the Tenryou Commission following behind them.

Shinobu let out a sigh as she could sense the potential headaches if those boys were to be locked up in jail cells again.

It has happened so many times now she was already preparing the next set of excuses and justifications to reduce their sentences.

Having thought that, her thoughts also wandered to what happened with the sky just now...

The fluctuation from the calm blue sky to the thunderous roar of lightning was not the most unexpected phenomenon to any person that lived in Inazuma, but it had never occurred so abruptly without reason before.

Whatever it was, there was no way Itto and the others had anything to do with it right?

Upon walking for half an hour, she finally stopped as she saw three silhouettes standing at the shore, unmoving.

Recognizing who they were, Shinobu walked over to their location, intending to hear their excuses before doing anything else.

...And they better have one.

"Guys...do you think the boss was able to grab Goku in time?" Akira asked the other two, wondering what was holding their boss for so long.

Mamoru merely let out an aura of confidence, "Of course he has, it's the boss."

As far as they were concerned, their boss was the most reliable person around...barring other insignificant matters of course.

Akira continued, "Then why is he taking so long? We've been waiting here for a while now, but they haven't come back up yet."

The other two did not have an answer for that, for none of them knew what was going on right now.

Genta was the one who was thinking of the worst sort of possibilities as he suddenly yelled out loud, "Did you think...the boss drowned as well!?"

Before they could let the questions settle in, a familiar voice cut into their conversation.

"...What was that about drowning?"

The three jumped in fright upon hearing the sudden interjection, and turned towards the new person among them, only to gulp upon realizing who it was.

Mamoru was the first to greet their deputy leader, "Ahhaha, Shinobu...umm, what brings you here?"

With her left hand on her hip, she began listing them, "Oh I don't know. How about the fact I saw the four of you talking with someone I've never seen before a few hours ago? Or the fact I've heard patrol guards following you knuckleheads sneaking into an area right underneath the city?"

Akira could feel the sweat pouring out of him just from sheer nervousness alone, "Shinobu, I know it sounds bad, but for once, we didn't get caught by the Tenryou Commission."

Shinobu raised an eyebrow at his explanation, as to her knowledge, that has never happened before.

"Get caught? So you all did something after all, it's just that the Tenryou Commission couldn't find a reason to arrest any of you."

Once more, the trio was utterly terrified by their demon of a deputy leader. It was almost like she had some sort of sixth sense whenever they did anything.

But no, it was simply because unlike those guards just now, Shinobu's perceptiveness in figuring out their antics was on a whole other level.

Surprisingly, she didn't let out an exasperated sigh, "Well, at least you all weren't arrested this time so you can explain it to me later. By the way, where's the boss...and that other person?"

As the three scrambled to provide an explanation to her, all their attention was caught by a splashing noise a few distances away from shore.

Water burst forth from a small area as one Arataki Itto popped out from the ocean, gasping ever so loudly as this was the first instance of fresh air he had ever gotten since diving into the ocean.

After getting back his breath, Itto hastily placed a figure onto his back, and proceeded to swim towards their general location.

The trio cheered upon seeing the scene, while Shinobu was understandably confused.

The cheerful atmosphere slowly dissipated as the pained expression on their leader's face became more apparent as he got closer to shore, telling them that something was wrong.

And they were right when their eyes shifted to the person Itto was carrying.

They could not get the clearest view on Goku's current condition, but the purple glow that emanated from his back was more than enough to convey his well-being.

The moment Itto arrived on shore, he dropped to his knees, stubbornly maintaining his balance to avoid hurting Goku in the process.

After all, their new member was already in a pretty bad condition.

"Boss!" the trio cried out in worry, while Shinobu watched them closely, something that did not go unnoticed by Itto.

"Krrgh—Forget about me! Shinobu, I don't know how you found us but I ain't gonna question it. Do you think you can help Goku!?"

It was clear to her that this Goku was the person that was on Itto's back. While she had many questions for him, she pushed them off for now.

"What exactly happened?"

"I don't know. All I know is these things on Goku aren't leaving him no matter what I do, even after carrying him all the way back here."

Upon seeing the visible strain their leader was showing, the trio approached Itto as they prepared to take Goku away from him, only for all three to flinch from the slightest contact with the martial artist.

Just as their leader had said, there was indeed something hovering around Goku, notably purple sparks flying in and out of his body. Due to their haste just now, they did not acknowledge its existence until they physically felt it themselves.

It was similar to the stinging sensation of being zapped, only much more amplified.

Noticing their failed effort, Itto slowly removed Goku from his back as well, only to feel a sudden jolt assaulting his senses. He groaned as the rest of the gang helped him in his endeavor, enduring the pain until finally, the unconscious martial artist was now laid on the ground.

While they were still reeling from the stinging sensation, Shinobu crouched down and began a more thorough observation on Goku's condition.

It did not take long for her to find out what was going on.

Suffice to say, not good.

Not good at all.

Besides the trail of electro energy enveloping him, there were also the multiple slash wounds all across his chest.

And they weren't shallow ones either, as blood was constantly trickling down from the open wounds.

If something wasn't done to close it in time, then he was definitely going to bleed out.

The only good news out of her observation was that somehow...this person was still alive, despite the presumably many minutes that have passed.

It was a miracle honestly, because Goku shouldn't even be breathing by this point.

And this wasn't even accounting for the electro energy emanating within him. If Itto and others were already experiencing pain just by being close to him, then what of the person that was continually enduring them at its strongest.

"Gargh—"

The person in question let out a groan, his head tossing to the side from the sudden jolt of intensity as sparks flared up out of nowhere.

Shinobu remained silent despite what just occurred, while the others looked at Goku worriedly, as they did not know what to do for their new friend.

"Do you think it's because he might have fought the Raiden Shogun?" Akira asked, concerned still.

"Well, he did say he wanted to talk to her...yeah yeah, that's totally what happened. I just didn't think it would turn out like this," Itto remarked as he recalled the specific reason Goku wanted to find the Shogun.

"If that did happen, what did she do to him? And was the Raiden Shogun always this scary?"

Although she was not present with them at that time, Shinobu agreed with their conclusion on what transpired. She was secretly a bit proud that they were able to come up with such a reasonable guess, even if they fully grasp the whole picture.

"The Musou no Hitotachi. It's the only reasonable explanation."

She had never personally seen the technique upclose, merely whispers and hushes from time to time. However, that did not mean she did not know of it, considering how famous the technique was within Inazuma.

...or infamous, depending on who you were asking.

Still, what exactly compelled someone to face the Raiden Shogun of all people?

She didn't know who this Goku person was, and the others clearly only met him recently, most probably today if she had to guess. Still, those remaining inquiries were pushed aside.

A rebel...or some sort of crazy fool...if the gang trusted him enough, then it was a decent enough reason for her to at least help out with the repertoire of skills she possessed.

"Musou no whatever, who cares about that! I'm asking again, can you do anything about Goku?" Itto yelled out, desperation in his tone.

Leave it up to her boss to ignore a technique that even some swordmasters worshiped to no end for the safety of a friend.

"Maybe...but before anything else, we have to stop the bleeding. Until then, it's far too risky and unstable to try anything else."

Itto faced her with the utmost seriousness as he spoke, "Alright, so what do we need to do?"

"...I don't exactly have the tools nor do we have the time to be delicate here, so the only option we have is cauterization."

Judging from the amount of time that has passed, who knew when exactly would it be too late?

Sewing up the wounds would take too much time, and with the constant wave of electro energy coming on and off his body, it would hinder more than help if anything, as the moment it jumped in intensity, her hand would slip.

Cauterization, on the other hand, was simple and quick. It might leave scars, but it was much better than the alternative.

There was one obvious issue however.

"So, what's the problem then? You already figured it out!" Itto yelled out in frustration.

She shook her head, "I can't, the electro energy lingering within his body is preventing me from even trying to approach him. I'm sure I can withstand them, but even a single mistake can make the situation even worse."

Not to mention she had willingly given up her Vision, which for the first time since she had done so, believed that she might have made the wrong choice.

"Let me do it then. If you're the one guiding me through it, then I'm sure it's as good as done."

Itto made a good point. Being a descendant of an oni, he was naturally better than her in terms of endurance. Then again, she could already see the stress that her boss had accumulated on his back just by carrying Goku back onto shore.

Shinobu was indecisive, struggling with the idea as she didn't want to put Itto in further danger...that was until her boss cleared away all her concerns.

"I'm the 'One and Oni' Arataki Itto, I'm more than tough enough to handle the pain! So, let's stop wasting time and just do it," Itto stated seriously, snapping her out of her stupor.

Right, this was no time for hesitation. If the boss was fine with it, then she would share the same resolution.

"Akira, Genta, Mamoru!" She yelled out in a commanding voice, alerting the trio.

"Yes!"

"Gather some firewood and make a fire. The larger the better, understand?"

The three nodded in affirmation as they immediately spreaded out, searching for the materials that their deputy leader had requested.

Itto blinked in confusion, not knowing what he was supposed to be doing at the moment.

Noticing her boss's confusion, she pointed at him as she spoke, "You just rest for a bit boss, cause the important part is up to you."

Itto let out a confident grin, "Just leave it to me. Course I know you can handle it as well, but as the leader of the Arataki Gang, I obviously have to be the one to do it."

Normally, Shinobu would admonish him for being so boastful but in this case, she had a feeling that he was telling her that as much as he was telling himself.

Guessed he was looking out for her in his own absurd way.

"Uh Shinobu, what exactly are you doing?" Akira as he stared into the fire before, alongside the rest of the Arataki Gang.

The trio were able to successfully collect the firewood needed, and moments after that, a fire was made near the position of the still unconscious Goku.

Currently, their deputy leader was holding a dagger of some sort atop the fire, resulting in the blade giving off a red hue.

"Heating it up. It's what we need to do if we want to close those wounds."

They merely stared in anticipation, while the faint noises of Goku's groans echoed throughout the night.

"...and done. Here, you hold it boss," she said as she handed the dagger to him.

Itto took the blade awkwardly, for a weapon like this was not one that he was used to handling, not to mention it belonged to Shinobu of all people.

Shinobu gave him a nod of approval, "Good, we can begin then. The more time we waste, the less of a chance of us saving him. I'll guide you on what to do, but do you still think you're up for it boss?"

Amongst the tension and pressure he had felt for a while now, Itto let out a tried and true smile that exuded pure confidence, "I ain't changing my mind, that's for sure."

For Kuki Shinobu, it was as good an assurance as any when it came from Arataki Itto.

"Pah!" Itto released a tired gasp as he sat on the soft sand, releasing his hold on the still heated blade.

A crackling noise could be heard as the hot metal hit the ground, only for it to be picked up by its original owner.

"Nice work, seems like it did the trick," Shinobu complemented as she held her blade high up in the air, her right hand feeling the warmth coming from her weapon as trickles of blood drop from the edge.

Shinobu was correct, as there was no longer blood seeping out of Goku's wound.

However...

"Gargh!" the martial artist yelled out in pain as another sudden jolt of electro energy struck from within.

"It still hasn't stopped!?" Mamoru said in frustration.

While there was no longer the possibility of the martial artist bleeding out, the situation was by no means better, merely lessening one of the worst possibilities.

"We got the first step done right Shinobu? What do we have to do next?"

"...I don't know."

All of them were stunned, they couldn't believe what they were hearing. In all the time they had known their deputy leader, there was never a single time that she did not know what to do for any sort of situation. From bailing them out of arrest, to selecting work that was suitable for even deviants like them...Kuki Shinobu knew it all.

"What do you mean, you don't know? You always know what to do!" Itto cried out in disbelief.

"This situation is unlike any case that I've ever seen before, so we can't just recklessly proceed with whatever treatment I can think of at the top of my head."

There was no denying there were few methods she could try, but she had a feeling none of them would actually work.

After all, this was a case that she had never encountered before.

The trails of electro energy that remained from the aftermath of the Musou no Hitotachi intensified once more, startling them as Goku howled in pain.

For Itto and the trio, it was a frustrating feeling.

For Shinobu, it was a sign that things could become even worse.

"So there's nothing we can do?" Akira asked.

"...All we can do is wait and see what happens. Who knows, maybe the electro energy coursing through his body will dissipate sooner than we think."

Despite the fact it was said by their ever knowledgeable deputy leader, even they did not wholeheartedly believe that it would be that simple.

She didn't think so, either.

"Damn it, nothing changed!" Itto yelled out in sheer frustration as his fist hit the ground beneath him.

The other members of the Arataki Gang shared similar sentiments, as they stared once more at Son Goku's condition.

Though night had fallen, the ever bright glow emanating from Goku's body still continued to shine, illuminating the darkness, and it was through that small source of light they were able to clearly see the status of their new member.

It was no better than before.

Goku let out another dulled groan as he turned to the side from the sudden jolt, with small bruises now located at several areas of his body.

"That's it, I can't just sit here doing nothing, I gotta get out of there and ask if anyone knows anything about this."

Anything. He needed to try anything and everything, as he was not going to give up on saving Goku just because he didn't know what to do.

Because if he continued to do nothing, at this rate...

"Yeah, I'm sick of standing around here. We can at least ask around if anyone has any idea on what to do," Akira said, agreeing with Itto.

Mamoru and Genta were just as motivated, joining the other two in their new goal.

Shinobu made no move to stop them. After all, she understood that feeling all too well. If they were to be the one to lose their cool, then she'll keep a cool head to try and figure out another way.

Who knows, they might just be able to find something that she couldn't.

"If you guys are that intent on trying to help, then—Who's there!?"

Itto and the others stopped in their tracks as they heard the intensity coming from Shinobu's voice, and looked towards the direction she was staring at.

They were greeted by the sight of a shadowy figure walking slowly towards them, until the light coming off from Goku revealed the person's appearance.

"...I apologize for startling you, my name is Kaedahara Kazuha," the young man greeted as he gave them a small bow.

"Kaedahara..." Shinobu murmured as the name was vaguely familiar to her, but couldn't quite pin it down on when exactly she had heard of such a name.

"Don't know what you're here for, and I don't have time for it either. If you got a job for us, then the Arataki Gang is currently closed until we're finished with more important things," Itto explained as he waved Kazuha off.

"Oh? What if I were to say that I am here for one Son Goku?"

Now that got their attention.

"How did—you from the Tenryou Commission or something?" Itto asked suspiciously, now actually on guard.

Kazuha covered his mouth with his left fist, thinking up an adequate answer to Itto's question.

In the young man's opinion, the truth would be the best for this sort of situation, lest it turned any worse, "It would be incorrect to say I am from the Tenryou Commission, but I do indeed have a relation with them."

That was not the answer Itto was looking for.

Itto was not someone that could be considered the most rational person, even if one were to compare him to a child's mentality. In his current state of emotion, the hotheadedness of his has now exploded to the point that almost all his rational and logical thinking was thrown out into the wind.

Realizing what her boss was about to do, Shinobu outstretched her arm towards Itto as she called for him, "Wait boss, don't—"

It was too late. Itto had already leapt forward into the air, his right arm reeled back to wind up a right hook on his opponent.

In response, Kazuha did nothing but stood completely still as Itto approached him from the air, only for him to raise his sword at the final instance before the hit connected.

The air shook around them as Itto's fist collided with Kazuha's blade, neither of them recoiling from the resulting impact.

After landing back on the ground, Itto felt the need to compliment the person he just attacked, "Heh, you're not half-bad. Here I thought I was going to knock you out a bit."

"The same compliment also goes to you. I was not expecting such a strong strike from just your bare fist alone," Kazuha complimented back.

"Ahaha, what do you expect? I'm Arataki 'Punch King' Itto. That wasn't even everything I got either."

One moment they were about to look like they were going to fight each other to death, now they were just bantering as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Even as a fighter herself, Shinobu would never understand moments like these.

"Alright, that's enough," she said as she now stood between the two of them.

"But Shinobu, this guy's from the Tenryou Commission. I bet he's here to arrest Goku just because the Electro Archon couldn't finish the job. Real petty of her if you ask me."

"That's impossible, because he's a fugitive that's running away from the Tenryou Commission. If anything, they would be the one who wants to capture him first instead of finding someone who is believed to be dead."

Itto blinked in confusion, not quite understanding what she was getting at.

Kazuha showed no sign of discomfort at her words, "...I see that my identity is more well known than I first believed."

"Not exactly. I just got a good look at the criminal list once, and your name just happened to be the one I can recall," Shinobu stated.

At the time, she was merely assisting the Tenryou Commission with organizing some files and documents, so the name had come up a couple of times.

"It is perhaps my own fault, my wording could have been conveyed in a way that did not leave any room for misunderstandings."

Shinobu disagreed, but Itto felt otherwise.

"Yup, it was totally your fault. I mean, what do you expect me to think? A guy suddenly shows up and somehow knows Goku's name eventhough we only just met him today!"

"Hm? Then he had challenged the Raiden Shogun on the very first day he had stepped foot on Narukami Island?" Kazuha asked, mildly surprised that such a development had occurred.

"Wait, how exactly do you know that?"

Even she wasn't privy to that knowledge until an hour ago, yet Kazuha already knew what was going on?

Itto pointed his right thumb at their new guest, "Now do you get what I mean Shinobu? He's totally suspicious."

"Let's just say there is someone who was aware of his actions, the past and the present. That very same person made a request of me to search for him, which led me to meeting all of you all here," Kazuha explained calmly.

The members of the Arataki Gang had no clue on who this individual was, as they were far too focused on the other implication from his words.

"Now that you've found him. What exactly are you planning to do with him?"

"..."

Kazuha remained silent, staring eerily long at the unmoving martial artist, his eyes scanning his body from top to bottom.

Then, he closed his eyes to deliberate on a decision, only to open them moments later as he spoke, "I believe my first course of action would be to take him to the ship I came here with, the Alcor. There, he may receive the medical help that he needs."

"Hey, are you saying our Shinobu did something wrong?" Mamoru said, raising his fist in mock anger.

"Oh, were you the one who sealed his wounds? I mean no offense, merely suggesting that seeking an alternative perspective might illuminate another path."

"Don't be. I completely agree with what you're saying," she said offhandedly.

"Shinobu!?" They all cried out in surprise.

She was not done, "However, that doesn't mean we're just leaving him all to you just like that."

Kazuha merely let out a formal smile in response, "Very well, I see no qualms with such an arrangement. Shall we get going then?."

With a loud thud, Itto held Goku up by his left shoulder, now facing towards Kazuha, "Alright then, take us to this Allcar."

Just then, another spark of electro energy came forth out of the martial artist, causing Itto to lose a bit of his strength as his knee fell to the ground...

Only for Kazuha to catch them in time, preventing their fall entirely.

"Here, let me."

Just as Itto was about to question Kazuha's action, the fugitive simply showed a smile as he explained his action just now, "This way, we may be able to arrive there in a quicker manner, and lessen your burden. Not to mention...I'm sure you would be more relaxed if I were to hold him like this as I lead the way, correct? "

Kazuha's statement was clear to them; to show he was willing to put down his guard just so they could move Goku towards the Alcor. This was especially apparent given the way he had sheathed his sword in favour of helping Itto out, and sharing the burden of enduring the pain with him.

Itto bellowed a chuckle at Kazuha's demeanour, "Maybe you're not so bad, even if you are kinda boring."

The others in the Arataki Gang couldn't believe their ears at their leader unknowingly insulting someone, but Kazuma merely took it in stride as he readjusted his shoulder to somewhat fit Itto's height.

Thus, they began their journey towards the Alcor, with Itto and Kazuha at the front of the group while the trio followed along.

Shinobu was at the very back of the group, observing the supposed fugitive just in case anything unforeseen were to happen.

She then noticed Kazuha staring into the distance, a direction that was in opposition to their supposed destination.

His expression steadied, before giving off a smile as he gave it no further attention.

What that was, she did not know, but she somehow doubted it was anything that would directly put them harm's way.

"Wow, that's such a cool looking ship. I don't think even the ones I've seen on Ritou can compare," Mamoru said, admiring the design.

"I'm sure the captain would be delighted to hear such a compliment," Kazuha remarked.

All five now stood on a more isolated location of Narukami Island, what floated before them was the Alcor.

"So, how exactly do we get on it?" Akira questioned, not noticing any sort of way for them to get on it.

But as soon as he asked such a question, a loud voice suddenly boomed out from atop the Alcor.

"Captain, Kazuha is back!"

Said captain gave an equally loud response upon hearing the news, "That so? Took him long enough...lower the gangplank!"

Moments later, a giant ramp was slammed onto the ground before them as it was thrown from the deck of the ship, now acting as a bridge of sorts for them to walk on.

All the members of the Arataki Gang were caught off guard by how fast everything just went, while Kazuha merely let out a content smile as he nudged Itto to move forward as they carried Goku along.

Itto blinked for a moment, only to get it a few moments later as he did just that.

When they took a single step onto the ramp, Kazuha listened in to the hushed conversation behind their backs, courtesy of his sharp hearing.

"Wait a minute. You three should stay here and wait until the Boss and I get back," Shinobu stated as she halted the trio.

Genta was the first to not understand the implied intention,"But how come we can't come along?"

"Look, no matter how nice this Kazuha has been treating us so far. We still don't know why a fugitive returned to Inazuma all of a sudden. If anything, he should be in a location as far away as he can from here, and I doubt retrieving someone you guys just met is worth the risk for it."

Kazuha could not deny that, as that was the natural response. Still, she was not fully incorrect either, as he too had his own personal reason to ensure Goku's safety.

That did not mean it overshadowed his own desire to save a life.

"I guess that makes sense...don't take too long, it's a bit scary being out here by ourselves," Akira said.

Mamoru agreed, "Plus, it is kinda getting cold, but we'll stick through with it. I just hope Goku gets better after all this."

"Yeah..." Genta said with a dispirited tone.

Shinobu did not elaborate any more as she followed along Itto and Kazuha, who were already making their way to the main deck of the Alcor.

As soon as they stepped forth onto the ship, they were greeted by the sight by the captain of said ship, along with many of the crew members being gathered around them.

"Welcome aboard, name's Beidou and I'm the captain of this here crew. Usually, I would give you a better reception but judging on that person the both of you are holding, I'm guessing that's Goku then? From the looks of it, the situation's looking pretty dire huh?"

"Indeed, the only fortune that can be gleaned from this is his strength in persevering and enduring such tribulation."

Kazuha did not exaggerate, for he had merely experienced the fraction of pain that Goku was currently going through, yet even now, the martial artist had not yet given up.

It spoke of his fortitude and character, despite having not talked to him even once.

"Place him here. Before we get a closer look on his current condition, we gotta get rid of those things around him first," Beidou stated as she pointed at the empty space before her.

As Itto and Kazuha placed Goku on the floor, the former immediately sat down at a corner with ragged breath while the latter merely stood against the fore mast, both observing Beidou's next action.

With Goku now laid before her, Beidou unleashed a roar as she clenched her fist.

"HARH!"

The Vision on her person shined as purplish light was brought forth, somewhat mirroring the colour of the one still lingering in Goku.

A dome made of electro energy was then formed around Beidou. As the barrier slowly intensified, the electro energy within the martial artist flowed towards Beidou's direction, momentarily leaving his body.

"I see...this way, you'll be able to remove the residual electro energy trapped in his body," Kazuha commented,

"Krh, not quite. Even when I'm absorbing them, it doesn't feel like I can completely drain it all out of him. What exactly am I dealing with here?"

If even Beidou was having such troubles, then there was no longer any doubt in his mind on the cause of such a phenomenon.

"When one considers it is the lingering energy from the Musou no Hitotachi, then it is not abnormal in the slightest."

After all, the Raiden Shogun was a God. Those who had lived after being struck by such a technique were zero, so this was a first in the history of Inazuma.

"The fact he's still alive says a lot about him. Now that the electro energy within him is turning towards me, it should be easier to inspect his current condition."

Despite the buzzing noise around her, Beidou turned to only one person that had the medical knowledge to help.

"Yinxing, I'm gonna need a thorough examination on what's going with his condition," Beidou called out as she turned to a woman who was standing by, medical supplies in her hand.

"Sorry to interrupt, but mind if I join in? I was the one who closed his wounds before coming here, so I'm hoping you don't mind me helping," Shinobu asked, stepping in now that the timing was more appropriate.

Yingxing agreed almost all too easily, "Oh no, please do. I'm going to need every little detail that you were able to obtain in your examination."

As the two discussed further while examining their patient's condition with ease, now that most of the electro energy was temporarily removed.

"While those two are busy with assessing the situation, might as well ask...where exactly did you find him Kazuha?"

"Hmm, on a shore not quite far from here. However, I was not the first one to discover him," Kazuha explained, his eyes turning to the leader of the Arataki Gang, who had been strangely quiet up until now.

Beidou easily understood what he was implying, "I could tell, since you weren't the only one returning. I'm more surprised no one arrested you at the spot."

"Pft, as if this guy could be beaten by those sore losers from the Tenryou Commission," Itto cut in, joining in the conversation.

For the first time since he had stepped onto the Alcor, Kazuha noted it was only now that the leader of the Arataki Gang had spoken, possibly due to the buildup of fatigue from saving Goku.

What the more intricate details entailed, he did not know but it was obvious with how strained Itto looked even now, despite the strong front he was putting on.

Beidou let out a snort, "Hah! You got that one right at least, what's your name kid?"

"Arataki Itto, the leader of the Arataki Gang! And that person you just talk to is Shinobu, she's my deputy leader," he said proudly, pointing towards Shinobu.

"And I'm guessing it's your group that old Kazuha found you with Son right? Gotta thank ya for saving us the trouble of preventing the worst from happening, even if it's temporary."

"Goku's a new member of my gang, even if he's only joined today. As the boss, of course I would save him!"

Beidou took in the new information as she looked at the still unconscious martial artist, "Not even a day and he's already got someone behind his back, even after he faced the Electro Shogun of all people. I can see why our employer wanted us to search for him now."

Kazuha agreed with the assessment, yet it did not only spoke of Goku's character, but also Itto's loyalty.

"Who is your employer anyway?" Itto asked curiously.

"Can't tell you. If I did, we might have to drag you all with us just to keep it from being complicated," Beidou stated simply.

Observing his surroundings, Kazuha noticed that Shinobu's eye twitched upon hearing Beidou's explanation, something that he realized was becoming a bit too noticeable, at least to him.

Itto gave her a noncommittal shrug, "Well, if you wanna drag me along then that's fine, but you better pay me for the trouble. Just...don't involve Shinobu and the others got it!?"

"No promises there."

Though her words were that of indecision, Kazuha knew that the tone Beidou exuded was one of slight fondness.

"Hey, you better not be joking around on that, I'm serious!" Itto called out, only to get back on topic.

"Anyway, what are you going to do with Goku now that you've found him?"

"It will depend on Yinxing's examination. Right now, none of us knows what's gonna happen if we leave him as he is, or whether we can find a way to cure him before he can't make it," Beidou explained coolly.

"Of course he'll live. He's a member of the Arataki Gang after all," Itto stated as if it was a matter of fact.

Both Kazuha and Beidou did not verbally respond to Itto's word, because to them, there was never such a guarantee in life.

Just then, both Shinobu and Yinxing stood up, and walked towards Beidou. Noticing this, Beidou did not let up in absorbing the wandering electro energy, merely turning towards them as she prompted hem to speak first.

"Captain, we are finished with our assessment," Yinxing said, a note in hand.

Beidou nodded in response, "Lay it on me, how bad is it?"

"On the surface, his body may look to be holding up, but his heart rate is definitely abnormal, alongside difficulty in breathing and muscle deterioration. These are expected, but what's more worrisome is that despite the amount of electro energy you have been absorbing, it has not decreased in the slightest. In fact, there is a very real possibility it will either stay at this level, or become worse…by all accounts, he should be dead at this point."

Well, that wasn't good, not one bit.

"So, what are our options?"

"There is none, at least in the traditional sense. His condition is unprecedented, a case that I've never seen before in any kinds of medical records. One wrong step and who knows what will happen."

Beidou took in the information she had just received, and thought deeply on what should be done.

That lasted only for a moment, as she saw there was another way.

"...Guess there's only one thing to do for now. Since we were hired to find him, doing anything risky would be outside the scope of our job," Beidou explained, before breaking into a full blown grin.

She then directed her voice towards the other members of her crew, "Somebody write down what I'm about to say, then send it to Sangonomiya!"

One of the crew members broke into a sprint, probably to retrieve a particular item that was used to message their employer, while another was preparing themselves to write down what their Captain was about to say.

Kazuha turned to their other guests, with Itto looking around the ship, lost in the discussion entirely while Shinobu held a look of disbelief, one that he was able to discern when the name Sangonomiya was uttered.

"Alright men, we're setting out to Yashiori Island. Ready the sails!" Beidou announced loudly to everyone in the vicinity.

The men cheered as they began to move around the ship, while Itto's mind was still in disarray as he hadn't quite caught on with what was going on.

Still, they looked like a fun bunch.

Just as he thought that, he felt a sudden pull from his side until realizing that it was Shinobu slowly dragging him away from his previous spot.

Before he could say anything, Shinobu was the first to speak up as she looked towards the captain, "Seeing as you have settled on your plans for Goku, we'll be taking our leave Captain Beidou. Hopefully, he will be able to recover the next time we see him."

Beidou merely waved them goodbye without saying a word as she continued maintaining her barrier, while Yinxing bowed to them in a respectful manner.

It was only Kazuha who did not give her any sort of response at all.

"Hey, Shinobu!" Itto cried out as they continued moving away from the Alcor.

Once they reached back to shore, Shinobu let out a sigh of relief as the ramp slowly removed itself from the ground, with the trio quickly gathering around her and Itto.

"You guys are back! Where's Goku?" Genta questioned, looking around for their new member.

"That's what I wanted to ask! Shinobu, why did you shove me out of the ship all of a sudden? We should have stayed there until the end. If you were worried about Genta, Akira and Mamoru we could have just brought them along."

She gave a disapproving gesture, "Boss, it's better if we don't involve ourselves any further with them."

"Why's that? They didn't look that bad to me, weird to have a ship but not the weirdest thing around."

"When she was commanding her crew earlier, she mentioned the name Sangonomiya. Do you know why's that important?"

All of them shrugged dismissively, which to Shinobu, was not unexpected.

"She's the leader of the Resistance, meaning we were on a ship that was either a part of an army that is going against the Shogunate, or people who were working with them. If we stayed there any longer, then we might be branded as traitors in the near future."

The realization finally settled in, as all four took another look at the Alcor, almost not believing who they had just met.

While that was certainly surprising, it also clenched it for Itto's next decision.

"...Hey Shinobu, you mind looking after the gang? I'm gonna be away for a while."

For once, it was Shinobu who didn't comprehend what Itto was saying, yet the trio easily understood Itto's intention.

"Take care of Goku for us boss, we still gotta introduce him to a lot the things we do here in the Arataki Gang."

"I wonder if he would wanna go paint the town with us sometime?"

"Maybe, but he still has to have a round of Onikabuto fighting before anything else."

She wanted to yell at him…to stop him by force if she had to…but the moment she was about to pull out her weapon…she stopped.

The way Itto looked was reminiscent of those very rare moments where he would give it his all for something or someone he wholeheartedly believed in.

Well, she was a member of the Arataki Gang at the end of the day.

"Just...stay alive. I can't quite call this the Arataki Gang if the leader himself isn't here anymore."

Itto grinned with complete confidence, "Who do you think I am? I'm—"

Then, he jumped into the air, his right hand extended trying to reach the end of the retreating ramp.

"Arataki 'Numero Uno' Itto!"

He was able to successfully clutch onto it, and immediately turned to wave goodbye to his friends, who also gave him the same gesture.

All was well…until he realized that grip on the board was beginning to slip…

That was, until a willing hand was extended towards him.

Taking the chance, he grabbed onto it as tightly as he could, and was hoisted up onto the ship.

Once he got back onto the Alcor, he was greeted by the sight of a smiling Kazuha who did not utter a single word at his reappearance, while the other crew members were giving him a strange look.

Beidou however, was the only one amused despite the fact she was still concentrating on maintaining her barrier, "Well well, aren't you reckless to come right back? Even after I tried to scare you two off on purpose earlier."

"Don't know what you're talking about, but I'm coming along with all of you until I'm sure Goku's up and running again, and there's no way I'm letting any of you stop me."

"Or I could just dump you back into the sea and save myself the hassle."

Sweat began to pour out his body, his eyes wandering nervously to the ocean, noticing that the ship was already going further and further away from Narukami Island.

"Relax, where did all that bravado you showed just now went? Sure, you can come along, just don't expect me to take you any further than Yashiori Island."

Just as Beidou finished her sentence, she suddenly felt a strong pull coming from the direction of the still unconscious Goku.

"Krghh—AARH!" Goku yelled out in pain, struggling as bursts of lightning exploded from his body.

Fortunately for him, Beidou was able to reel it in at the last moment as she strengthened her barrier, absorbing even more of the energy.

Upon seeing such a worrying sight before him, Itto frantically rushed towards Goku while Kazuha took another glance at the scene, his expression forlorn.

Sangonomiya Kokomi could feel her concentration slipping as she took one last look at her stack of notes on her table.

Some were summaries of events that had transpired over the week, mostly in regards to the battles that had occurred.

Ever since she had arrived to direct many of the confrontations with the Shogun's Army, the Resistance had many one-sided victories despite the lack of troops on their side.

It was not a sign for relaxation, as she had heard from scouts that potentially, a general of the Tenryou Commission might be joining in the frontlines for the Shogun's Army.

If intelligence was correct, then the general's name would be Kujou Sara.

She did not have many impressions of the general, as for one, she had never seen her in person before, merely rumours and half-truths that might or might not be useful.

Regardless, she was already working on the many possibilities that would come from a general such as a Kujou leading the Shogun's Army, and had thought of tactics that could possibly be utilized.

Directives had been written for this new potential element in the battlefield, which worked as an expansion to the directives she had already prepared for in the past.

As she thought on these directives, she couldn't help but think that making them was a mistake in the first place, as she had only now noticed that many of the troops within the Resistance were too reliant on them.

At the same time, she could not think of an alternative that could achieve the same results in a relatively short manner of time, not without first changing their way of thinking at least.

It was a plain mistake, one that she had made due to her early inexperience in commanding such a large force, which she tried to compensate for in the making of these directives.

Critical thinking and moment to moment decisions were not simply taught, but experienced...though there were some members that were capable of such things, it was clearly too much to expect every one of them to come to adopt such a thinking on their own, as the troops all came from various backgrounds and experiences..

Some were residents of Watatsumi Island simply fighting for to protect their own home, some who had their Vision taken simply joined did not want others to experience the same feeling of being stripped of their ambitions, some who did not even possess a Vision in the first place simply disagreed with the Vision Hunt Decree, and even those that did not care about such things were present, merely reveling in the sports of war.

She did not enjoy all aspects that encompassess the Resistance, but she nonetheless had to accept and work with such factors if the Resistance were to be able to fight against the Shogun's Army.

Recently, She had received complaints from some members who believed that their territory should be expanded upon in order to send a message to the Shogun Army that they were winning in this civil war.

She could not fault them for their thinking, but it was simply not doable.

Due to the ever slow dwindling of supplies, it would destroy them in the long run when they would not have the strength to keep them since their forces were split to maintain such territory.

As such, a momentary defeat was necessary in war.

Speaking of the Resistance, her presence this past week had made her aware on the morale of the troops.

It was not because they were demotivated, rather the issue was they were too motivated.

One would believe this would be beneficial, but she believed otherwise as this state of mind was no doubt dangerous, for there was a distinct possibility that they were believing themselves to be invincible, causing them to be too reckless in their approach to battle...or worse, do something unspeakable.

There was a single instance where she believed something was afoot already, but did not pursue it as she believed it was merely a suspicion with not much evidence, adding to the lack of time as the leader of the Resistance.

She did not want to truly believe something heinous would occur, one that would not only affect Shogun's Army, but to Inazuma as a whole.

Even so, the possibility is there ever since they had won the battle of Kannazuka and she could not deny them.

She had already made stop-gaps in case of such incidents, but they were merely that, stop-gaps, not ones that could conclusively solve the issues.

Nevertheless, these were the main portions of her worries in the time she had stayed on Yashiori Island.

The rest of them were on one particular individual...Goku.

Two days ago, she had received the message from the Crux in regards to his condition, and of his actions up until this point in time.

Goku challenging the Raiden Shogun so early was entirely within her expectations, which was why she had sent out a search for him by employing Beidou and her crew, who were already heading towards Inazuma.

After hearing the news from Beidou in regards to Goku, she was at the very least...glad that he was alive.

Despite the battle he had exchanged with the Electro Archon, he was able to survive it altogether. Sure, she was very much pessimistic about his chances before, but still went through the process of finding him despite that.

At present, his condition was anything but great. In fact, she had just received another report that it was actually getting worse, despite the efforts that the Crux had exerted in helping him.

It was clear her decision to bring Goku here was the right one. If conventional methods did not work, then there was one other way she could think of, and one that only she knew how to perform.

Though, was it necessary for her to heal Goku, for such an impossible task that no one has presumably never done before?

Even her own capability to heal might not be enough to save him.

She pondered on it for a while, thinking back that she had only known Son Goku for a few days, so was it advantageous for her to strain herself to such a degree?

But just as the thought came, she erased it just as fast by remembering one simple fact.

Son Goku was lost in this world, yet he decided to face the Raiden Shogun because he noticed the dire situation in Inazuma.

Or perhaps it was for a much less altruistic reason, but she would not know unless she asked him.

And she wanted to.

It was accurate to say she shouldn't be, but at this point, he was not a simple stranger to her.

He was a friend.

She wanted to help Goku out of this strange condition, not because of her responsibility as the Divine Priestess, nor because it would help in the war effort as the leader of the Resistance, but for her own personal reason.

It might be a bit selfish despite the benefits that would bring from helping him, but she truly only wanted to save him.

Kokomi did not know where that thought came from, as she had never let her own wants and needs ever supersede her responsibilities.

It was why she became the Divine Priestess…

It was why she became the leader of the Rebel Army...

But for once, it wasn't why she wanted to save someone.

It was simply because someone like him simply did not deserve to die in such a way, and that was enough of a reason for her to divert him away from such a fate.

She wondered once more whether or not her current way of thinking was attributed to that same person…

Her thoughts were interrupted as the sounds of footsteps could be heard within the room, approaching in a panicked manner if she were to judge the frequency of the footsteps.

This meant only one thing, thus she would begin her preparation for what was about to come.

She had no intentions of failing, for she will create a strategy to an ending that no one else could reach.

Chapter Text

As Sangonomiya Kokomi finished sorting the documents around in her current room, an expected visitor burst into the room.

Well, it was only expected on the part of someone entering, not so much the identity of the individual.

"So, this has to be it right!?" Itto yelled out in distress, clear worry in his voice.

While Kokomi had only heard of this Arataki Itto from the recent reports, her eyes were more concerned with the person he was carrying in his arms.

It was Goku, and he most definitely looked worse for wear compared to the last she had seen of him.

Worse yet, she could not even hear groans coming from him, which did not bode well for his current condition. Upon a closer look, she noticed his entire body was covered with multiple spots of black, alongside the ever lingering electro energy floating around him.

They were, however, faint as they were flowing towards a direction behind Itto...

"Seeing as you've run into every room until this one, what else could it be? You're lucky Kazuha's the one trying to explain what just happened to the guards here," Beidou said, leaning on the door.

"Who cares about that? So, where's this Sangonomiya?"

Beidou rolled her eyes as she pointed towards the one in the middle of said room, who had said nothing until now.

"Good evening, Captain Beidou," Kokomi greeted simply.

While Itto remained clueless on her identity, Beidou gave her the same courtesy, "You as well, Sangonomiya. Sorry for the loud noise, he's not exactly subtle."

She turned her head, "It is understandable, given the circumstances."

Finally catching on, Itto took a hard step as he directed the one question he had decided to join, "So you're the Divine Priestess or whatever right? Do you think you can save Goku?"

It was a question filled with concern for the individual in question, yet she could also hear the desperation that radiated from it.

"Please gently place him here. As for your inquiry, there is no guarantee that I will be able to heal him of this condition," she instructed.

Itto frowned after Goku was laid on the floor, presumably because those were not the words he was hoping for.

She continued, "However, there is no impossibility for there to be a way either. I, too, wish to save him."

Itto stared at her, wide eyes. Meanwhile, Beidou let out a chuckle before revealing a stack of paper in her left hand.

"These are the examination reports on him, courtesy of a few experts," Beidou said as she handed her several papers, each one detailing Goku's condition the past few days.

Beidou then turned towards Itto as she grabbed ahold of his shoulder, "Well, if you got Sangonomiya's word on it, then you can relax a little kid."

"Captain, I believe you can let go of your barrier now. It must have been tiring holding it up until now."

Beidou raised a brow, questioning if that was what she truly wanted.

Kokomi responded by nodding her head, which Beidou understood clearly by letting go of her barrier, causing the energy around her to disappear as she did so.

The moment the barrier dissipated, was also the very instant the electro energy within Goku came back in full force.

She saw it coming.

Her hands released a bluish hue as she placed them atop of Goku, enduring a momentary pain before pushing it all back.

A calming effect permeated throughout the entire room, as not only the strains in Goku's muscles were slowly being relieved, but the fatigue both Itto and especially Beidou had experienced for the past few days had lessened exponentially.

Just as Itto was about to sit down to take a good look at Goku's situation, Beidou pulled him away by the collar, "Alright, come on. No use for either of us to stay around."

"Hey! Why can't we be in here?" Itto whined, finding himself unable to break free from her hold.

"Cause you'll be interrupting the proceeding more than anything if you stay. Plus, there's a lot of people out there that you have to explain yourself to before they start thinking...oh I don't know, someone infiltrating their base and attempted to assassinate the leader of the Resistance."

Though it was an obvious lie since she had already informed the guards beforehand, Kokomi noticed that Itto was sweating profusely all the same upon realizing his previous actions.

"If you don't mind, I'll be taking a nap by the door. Give me a shout if you need my help Sangonomiya, you never know when something unexpected happens," Beidou said before turning to the other direction, taking another step as she dragged Itto along with her.

Kokomi concurred with the captain, as she already knew that the trails of lightning floating about were never always at the same level of intensity, for it can fluctuate at irregular intervals.

The door was then shut firmly, leaving only Kokomi and the still unconscious Goku alone.

With one hand preoccupied with healing Goku, the other was holding the papers that were just handed to her, reading them carefully so that no details were left out.

Minutes passed as the two stayed in complete silence, until the sounds of paper shuffling against one another could be heard as she placed it gently onto the floor beside her.

As suspected, his condition was unusual, unheard of even.

Even with the knowledge of the Sangonomiya Clan at her disposal, there had never been a condition as abnormal as this one.

At the same time, it was not a surprise. After all, it was a condition that had arisen from the aftermath of the Musou no Hitotachi. It could not be overstated that no one had survived the technique before, and Goku had done just that.

Even then, it had led him to such a critical state.

There were an endless wave of possibilities, most leading to a horrible end. With each passing moment, his condition was clearly getting worse as even her current healing capabilities were not enough to overtake them.

As such, she would circumvent even a fate that a God had already deemed hopeless.

"Covenant of the Deep," she chanted quietly.

Bright light converged behind her back, coalescing into a single robe that now wrapped around her neck. It was a garment made out of pure hydro energy, one that she had manifested with her own ability.

Yet, it was not only the Divine Priestess that had changed, but the surroundings around her as well.

What once was nothing but empty air were now filled with many things occupying the varying spaces of the room.

From the small bubbles that floated about, to the school of fish that swam around her, as well as the jellyfish hovering in the air. Each and every one of them were of her own making, all of them equally important.

It was only in this state was she able to summon forth all of her strength as the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island.

If one were to ask of their impression on such a scene, it would be ethereal. It was simply because Sangonomiya Kokomi at this moment, had an appearance that did not befit that of a human.

She would wholeheartedly disagree, of course.

Kokomi immediately went into work as she began her own examination from top to bottom. Her hand hovered above Goku, scanning the abnormalities in his body as she focused on the elemental energy within him.

Once she discovered the many sources of the energy, she overwhelmed them by continuously suppressing them.

Her hand shined even brighter, almost engulfing the still sleeping martial artist.

By doing so, the lingering energy no longer escaped from Goku's body, merely lying within them.

Despite this however, this did not mean she was able to remove them despite her best efforts.

Though subdued, she could still sense the lingering energy within him.

It was the exact issue she feared.

Yes, she was able to suppress them, but could not completely remove them, even with her capabilities to heal people from mortal wounds.

But it was not a mortal one, this wound came from a God...

The Raiden Shogun herself.

She could perhaps prepare a ritual for restraining them in the meantime, but how long would a seal like that last?

Would she need to heal Goku everytime he experienced an indescribable pain that he had no control over?

Besides, how long would his health last if it continued to go on like this; tethering between being healed and being struck by the electro energy within him?

Days? Months? Years?

It was not a solution, merely another stopgap. To even believe relying on pure coincidence to find another method in the meanwhile would be a plan too foolhardy for such a delicate situation.

She did not need to find a solution later, she needed to find one now.

As Kokomi continued to deliberate on her options, she suddenly felt a slight pull on her person.

It was subtle; the best feeling if she were to describe it was if one was sprinkled with small droplets of water.

Searching for the source that had derailed her thoughts, what she discovered was surprising.

It was the crystallized droplet that Goku had given her after his fight with the hydro construct on Watatsumi island. It shook and rolled around as she held it in the palm of her hand, as if it wanted to repel any elements that dared approach it.

Just like on the first day she had received it...

A wave of realization came over her, as ideas started to flood her mind the longer she stared at it.

This might be it.

She could not remove them, nor could she cure Goku on her own.

How about pushing them away altogether?

Of course, its capability to repel was insignificant at best, as it was incapable of standing up to the power of a God.

Then, she simply had to amplify its effects to rival it.

In order to achieve such a thing, she would first need to be able to control it in order to maximize its effectiveness.

This was, unfortunately harder said than done as she had already tried out various methods in doing so ever since she had received this strange water droplet.

Eventhough it was such a small and fragile thing, it still withstood the many elements she had experimented on with it.

Be it dipping it in water above or even below ground, it had never meld itself or integrated into them, as though to say it rejected the very notion of it.

Even pure water was unable to dissolve it.

So, how exactly should she go about it now when her previous attempts bore no fruit?

Turning it over, her eyes were fixating on the core of the droplet.

Perhaps she had been going about it all wrong.

Instead of finding liquid that the droplet could meld into...she should do the opposite.

One that should not be able to mix in the first place.

Her blood.

Logically speaking, this should not work. No matter what angle one might look at it, the viscosity of the blood was even more unsuitable to be mixed in with the droplet in comparison to water.

For what exactly was she hoping to achieve by doing such a thing?

That was because in her veins flowed the blood of the Sangonomiya Clan, and with the use of her own abilities, coupled by her Vision...

In contrast to water, her blood held a bigger connection to her as a whole, which would give her much easier access to control anything it is contained in, or in this case, the droplet.

Sometimes the more unconventional methods were needed to be tread upon, and for a predicament such as this, there was never a more fitting time.

If this did not work, then she would simply continue to exhaust all of her other options until a solution was found.

It was the method that she had always used to decide each and every one of her actions, and it was no different now.

Finally settled on her next course of action, she stood up. What followed along were the hydro beings she had made now gathered on top of Goku, a bright light converging as the calming effect continued to be dispersed over Goku while Kokomi moved to another side of the room.

After a minute of searching, she returned back to the exact spot, the inanimate creatures dispersing as she held the item high in her hand.

It was a small knife.

No hesitation was to be seen as she proceeded to remove her right glove, and followed the next step by cutting open a small wound.

Blood dripped from her finger, falling into the crystallized droplet she held in her other hand.

As they collided, the blood was unable to penetrate into the droplet, merely clinging to the surface.

That lasted only for a moment before Kokomi concentrated her energy into her blood. By doing so, the blood slowly seeped itself into the crystallized tear.

The process repeated itself several times, until she finally decided to stop it altogether, closing her wounds with a simple use of her Vision.

Though it was not stained with red, rather the splash of blood positioned itself at the very center of the droplet. It was then and there she strengthened her control, causing the red splotch of blood to spread out within the droplet.

In return, the crystallized tear shook even harder, resisting the sudden intrusion as it attempted to repel it back, which became even more evident when her blood was constantly stretching and pulling itself.

For the next few minutes, Kokomi's priority was on maintaining control, constantly finding ways to strengthen her hold. Slowly but surely, the shaking it displayed began to dwindle as the blob of blood at the center started to solidify, until finally...

Her blood became the very core of the crystallized tear itself, its appearance the same as before, only with a dash of red in the middle.

It was only after that, did the droplet settle down, her touch no longer caused it to react violently.

Motioning her other hand, the droplet slowly levitated, now hanging by her side, much like the many hydro constructs she herself had made.

A curious case, even to her. Despite the small construct clearly being inanimate, it almost felt like it was clinging onto its existence before she had taken full control of it.

Well, it didn't matter now. While there was still a need to look further into it, the more pressing matter was resolved.

She now possessed the ability to repel.

And her first order of action was to put this ability to use.

Kokomi took another hard look at Goku, his face somewhat calm despite the precarious predicament he was in, the energy within merely awaiting its moment to strike him at any time.

In order to increase its efficiency, the droplet would have to be in close contact with Goku's body.

As such, she moved the droplet around with a flick of her wrist, dropping it firmly atop of Goku's chest.

Then, she breathed in slowly as she closed her eyes once more.

Clear light shone from the droplet, illuminating the entire room. It was a fascinating experience, as it felt like she was being pulled back and forth while she used its ability.

But then, she felt it.

The feeling of being jolted, akin to that of lightning.

"Repel!" she said, clenching her fist tightly.

As the effect became stronger, the electro energy responded by retaliating wildly,sparks flying out from Goku as it flew towards various directions.

If any of those actually hit a part of the room, then they would surely be damaged, or even torn apart.

She was no exception.

They were, however, unsuccessful.

The hydro jellyfish, or her Bake-Kurage was able to absorb most of the attack as it floated in front of her, while the fish swimming in the air took the other brunt of the attack.

It was only moments later did it settle down. Not only that, she also saw that there was no longer electro energy traveling in and out of Goku.

She should have been relieved, yet she was not.

That was because what she saw was not reflected on what she sensed within Goku.

It was faint, almost inconspicuous if her focus wavered, but she could feel it even now.

The presence of the Electron's Archon lingering energy.

Its presence had certainly diminished, but it was located in an area that was not in his heart, rather…

His brain.

Upon realizing this, Kokomi calmly thought it through once more to assess the current situation.

At first, She entertained the possibility that what she did was ineffective, but discarded the idea upon further inspection, realizing that most of them had indeed been ejected from Goku's body.

That meant her earlier attempt had been successful, only not entirely.

So, what could possibly be the issue?

If the first possibility was erased, then she had to go with the second one; Goku himself, whether consciously or subconsciously, was unwilling to let the lingering energy go.

It was an absurd thought, but with the evidence standing before her...what else could she think it was?

If the innermost thoughts of Goku did not want to relinquish its hold on him, then even with the help of the crystallized tear she could not overturn it.

If that was the case, would he continue to slumber endlessly?

That would be...sad.

To be stranded in a world unknown to him, unable to do a single thing about it as time simply passes by, never knowing what had transpired in his own world...

She would reject such an ending even now.

If she was unable to remove the remaining electro energy…

If Goku himself did not want to let go….

Then she simply had to convince Goku himself to return, and the only way to do so is to enter his mind herself.

It would not be easy, and she had no clue on what could possibly lurk in Goku's mind…

Was it a happy dream, or a nightmarish one?

She would soon find out for herself.

Normally, there would be a ritual of some sort that involved a lot of preparations to perform such a feat as entering another person's mind. Even then, the conditions were rigid and much too specific to be feasible most of the time.

She thankfully did not need to do any of that nor rely on them, as she already had a perfect catalyst that would bring about the outcome she envisioned.

The droplet.

By combining her own power with the unique property of the crystallized tear, she would be able to perform such an act.

That conclusion was more than enough to assure Kokomi that her current path was the correct one.

Before doing any of that however, there were a few things she needed to prepare beforehand.

Kokomi stared at the sleeping face of one Son Goku.

After propping his upper body from the floor, she too sat as well, the two now facing one another.

One with their eyes closed, the other staring at them with the utmost attention.

Compared to before, Goku's face now was much more serene, perhaps he was enjoying a good dream.

It was nice.

Still, it was a false sense of security due to the foreboding danger that lurked within him.

Her determination strengthened upon seeing such a sight, and thus began the process for diving into his mind.

She gently placed the droplet on her forehead, and slowly moved closer to Goku.

It was a bit embarrassing, seeing that what she was about to do was something only she had done with her mother before, but ultimately pushed it down.

She then pressed her forehead onto Goku's.

The crystal shined brightly for the last time that night, as Kokomi experienced a sense of vertigo, the likes of which she had never felt before.

Then, everything went dark.

Kokomi awoke to an unfamiliar scene before her, the smell of the sea breeze eliciting a sense of nostalgia that she hadn't felt in a while.

What stood before her was a simple building, painted in pink with big and clear letters that she did not recognize.

That was not what held her attention however, but everything around it.

The building was atop of a small island, judging from the amount of land she was standing on. This was because everything around said land was nothing but water as far as the eyes could see.

Where was she, and how did it relate to Goku?

Just after she had such a thought, her attention was held elsewhere as she heard a loud noise coming from the building.

Kokomi took cautionary steps toward the building. With each step she took, the noises became ever more clear, to the point they had become discernible.

It was voices. The voices of people talking.

As she stopped just beside one of the windows of the building, she took a quick peek at who was inside.

It was a bunch of people all gathered together, with a magnificent feast before them eating away while many chatted amongst themselves, almost none of them recognizable to her; it consisted of many types of people, young and old, even creatures that looked similar to animals yet were capable of human speech...

What truly caught her attention was the one in the middle.

It was a small boy, jovially eating the food before him.

That ever distinct irregular spike of hair was instantly recognizable to her.

He might not have been the correct age, but she was almost certain that the boy was Goku.

To confirm her suspicion, she leaned in closer to the wall where the window beside her was slightly left ajar, hearing intently to bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Goku, you're eating way too much again! How about leaving some for the rest of us?" a creature resembling closest to a pig complained.

A small creature that floated in the air was the one who responded, "Uh Oolong, you do know this is Goku we're talking about right? I thought you would be used to it at this point."

"I know I know...but sometimes he needs a reminder if you ask me Puar," Oolong said, waving it off.

"Now now, simmer down," a turtle said slowly.

The young boy, who had been voraciously consuming the meal before him finally stopped for a moment, his head turning to Oolong, with his mouth stuffed with food.

"I ca— h—p it,I—"

There was another young boy beside him, one that oddly enough had no hair to speak of, "Goku, buddy...you gotta remember to swallow first."

Goku did just that, letting out a loud burp as a result before speaking about, "I can't help it Kuririn, I just feel so hungry after training so much."

It was a young man chuckling as he held a can of bear in his hand, "I can't exactly blame you for that. I bet you're excited to have a rematch with Tenshinhan right?"

Upon hearing the particular name, Goku perked up, "You bet! That's why I can't wait to get back into training again."

"Speaking of the guy, where is he exactly? He kinda just left after the tournament was over," Kuririn asked.

The entire table then stared at an old man in particular, who had been quietly drinking up until now.

Once he was finished, he gave an explanation to them, "Hmmm, for that young man in particular I believe he is on a journey of self reflection, perhaps still trying to come to grips with what happened at the tournament. However, I have a feeling he would most definitely become even more formidable if you were to battle him in the next Tenkaichi Budokai."

The young boy did not look discouraged, rather looked even more excited as he let out a toothy grin.

"That's nice and all, but I think you're forgetting about something important here..." a young woman with turquoise hair commented snidely, causing the mood to turn slightly.

"Oh come on, let up a bit Bulma. That's just how Goku is always going to be," the young man said, trying to cover up for whatever reason that was drawing her ire.

"Stay out of this, Yamcha! Look, I'm not blaming any of you idiots for once, but aren't you forgetting about something here Goku?"

The boy blinked for a moment, until he gave her a formal gesture.

"Thanks for the meal, Bulma."

"That wasn't it, you numbskull!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Oolong scooched over to Goku's side, whispering into his ears, "Goku, I think she's trying to tell you to remember that thing you have to do?"

"Well, at least someone here remembers. If you need a refresher Goku, I need your help to gather the dragon balls again because of what you did the other day, and I'm not letting you get out of this by saying you need to train."

Kokomi could not understand what they were discussing about, but it was clear that the others at the table did.

"So, we're going on another adventure?" Goku asked, eyes sparkling in excitement.

"Of course that's what you get out of what I've just said," Bulma said as she let out a tired sigh.

"Cheer up Bulma. If it makes you feel any better, I'll join in with Goku if you want...I never got a chance to search for dragon balls from start to finish like you guys, so this could be fun… unlike last time. Uhh, if it's alright with you master," Kuririn chimed in, now looking to the old man for approval.

The old man merely stroked his beard, "Yes, I think it's an excellent one. I believe all of you have already far outstripped what I can impart. Now, how you train is up to you."

Yamcha stood up as he pumped himself up, "Well, that sounds like a challenge I'm willing to take on."

"Me too!" Goku said cheerfully as he too, stood up.

Unlike Yamcha however, he immediately went for the door, something that Kuririn decided to inquire on, "Where are you going Goku?"

"A bit of training. After hearing about all the things we're gonna do, I can't help but feel so excited right now."

With that, he ran off while the others in the room stared at him, not moving from their position to join him.

"That boy...always so simple-minded..." the old man muttered, letting out a huff.

Just then, another young woman with blue hair known as Lunch walked in from the kitchen, "Oh my, and it was the first time that he didn't finish everything on the table."

All of them at the table merely laughed amiably, like it was an ordinary scene in their everyday lives.

She could not fixate on the scene for too long, as her eyes followed the figure that had just run out of the house.

Despite her appearance being an exception to the scene around him, it seemed that Goku did not notice her as he was far too engrossed in his desire to train.

The boy stopped as he stood at the edges of the small island, letting out a battle cry before unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks, hitting nothing but the air around him.

Once he was done with the quick exercise, Goku turned towards the direction of the ocean as he cupped both his hands, readying his stance as he began his chant.

"Ka...me..."

Upon seeing the bluish orb being formed between his palms, Kokomi quietly moved towards his general location, and sat on one of the rocks nearby, transfixed yet curious by what she saw.

"Haaa...Meeee..."

Goku did not take notice of her presence, his concentration solely on the technique as the ball of energy began to expand slightly.

This continued for minutes on end, until…

"HAAAA!"

A beam of light was blasted forward in a straight line, water being blasting upward from the strength of the technique as it launched just above the surface of the ocean.

This must have been the technique he last used against the Raiden Shogun before he was defeated, as well as the reason for all the commotion of his second day on Watatsumi Island.

Goku wiped the sweat off his brow as he gave a dissatisfied look, "Guess I still have a long way to go huh?"

"I would say so."

Surprised, Goku quickly turned to his side, and let a surprised yelp upon noticing her appearance.

What he said however, was very familiar to her.

"Aren't you a fish girl? I met one of you before, though it's kinda weird you have legs instead of a tail. So, are you here for Muten Roshi?"

It wasn't exactly the same words, but if she had any doubts before, there were none now. She was completely sure that the Goku before her, was the one she had come to know ever since he had dropped into her world.

At the mention of a tail, she did notice that the young Goku standing in front of her had one, something that his current self clearly did not.

Strange, perhaps she would ask about it at a later date.

Right now, she was more concerned with the information she was able to obtain from his words just now.

He did not know who she was.

This was a fact that she could not deny, yet what it meant brought far more implications and complications than she initially thought.

Alongside his memory, his body had also reverted back to that of a young boy. It was odd to think she was the one taller than him now, as she didn't think the height disparity between the past and now was so different for Goku.

It also led to another line of questions buzzing in her head….

This location was obviously not from her world, but from Goku's. For now, she needed to observe the situation more before deciding on her next course of action.

"No, I'm human just like you and...I'm not here for a Muten Roshi. Rather, I'm here to find a friend of mine that I can't locate," she replied vaguely.

"Eh, really? What do they look like?"

"I can't quite tell you just yet, at least not before you introduce yourself," she answered back, giving him a small smile.

"Oh, okay. I'm Goku!"

Yes, exactly how he was back then.

"Hello Goku, you can refer to me as Kokomi. Before I explain my objective here, do you want me to introduce myself to your friends inside so that everyone can know what's going on?"

"Oh sure, if you're looking for someone then I bet Bulma can figure it out more than I can."

The two then walked off, with Goku pushing his arms up and down excitedly while Kokomi followed him from behind, readying herself for what was about to come.

Whether this was an illusion or a dream, she knew that the people he was just talking to were at the very least his friends, perhaps even more from how friendly their interactions were.

Truthfully, she did want to know what group of individuals Goku surrounded himself with before meeting her.

Upon seeing Goku entering back into the house, Kuririn was the first that welcomed him back.

"You're back already Goku? Would've thought you train a bit longer than a few minut—"

The voice in Kuririn's throat died out upon seeing Kokomi standing at the door. This applied to the rest as well, as they couldn't quite believe what they were seeing.

He was not the only one, as the chatter that occupied the room had died down almost immediate at her arrival into the building.

"G-Goku, why is a pretty girl here?" Yamcha asked, pointing at her.

"She says her name is Kokomi, and she needs help finding a friend. So, I thought the best way was to ask Bulma if she knows anything," he explained innocently.

Bulma was the first to recover from the shock, "Well, I might be able to do something about it...but it's gonna depend on the scope of who we're searching for, not to mention the fact that we have it's gonna take some time for me to locate. You didn't make some ridiculous promise and actually checked the details right?"

Seeing Goku had handled her introduction, Kokomi decided it was best if she handled the following conversation.

"I believe Goku here made the correct decision. It is clear even to an outsider like me that he has confidence in your intelligence and abilities. In short, his actions to defer to someone more equipped for such a situation is ideal, is it not?"

They all stared at her with weird expressions, as if they had never heard someone talk in such a way.

Strange, she could have sworn she had expressed her words in a simplified manner, or was it because of something else?

All except for one, that was.

Bulma surprisingly came up to her quickly as she shook her hand, "Finally, someone that I can actually talk to here about topics that's not just about fighting!"

Now, she was the one who was caught off guard.

Upon realizing how forward she was being, Bulma gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry for startling you there, just call me Bulma. You have no idea how good it is to hear you say phrases like those. Not that I hate these knuckleheads, but sometimes I can't help but think I'm becoming crazier every time they talk about fighting everyday. "

She could somewhat understand, considering she was the general of a rebel army, which meant she could not discuss tactics with others most of the time. It also did not help with matters that what she heard about in the army were mostly not within her point of interests.

Oolong raised a brow, "Isn't it a little suspicious she just showed up on a remote island of all places?"

There was a bit of tension in the air as soon as they realized that he had a point, but she had already foresaw it coming and prepared an explanation beforehand.

"It is, isn't it? But I've heard of the name Goku before, so I wondered if he was able to help," she explained, dispelling some of their concerns.

"Wow, would you look at that kid? Your reputation is already so good that someone is asking you for help," Oolong praised, grinning at him proudly.

"Maybe because she heard how you destroyed the Red Ribbon Army by yourself? I bet that would get anyone to turn to you, Goku!" Puar chimed in cheerfully.

Red Ribbon Army?

If she hazarded a guess, then it was most likely a name of an organization judging from the conversation at hand, and they seemed to be infamous if they believed it was enough to make them believe her words.

The more enlightening reveal was that Goku had already reigned victorious over them despite his small stature.

She should be surprised, but it was more surprising she was not.

"Probably not, it's not like anyone ever broadcast how exactly that army was defeated..." Yamcha noted off handedly.

Kuririn shrugged, before turning to her, "Well, I don't think it matters that much. I say we should help her out...so, do you know anything about this person you're looking for?"

She smiled, "He is a person similar to that of my age. If I were to describe him, it would be...many things actually. He has a simplistic view on many matters, yet he still goes through the trouble of thinking and caring about more complicated matters. He also involves himself in matters that he should not have, but does so anyway with reckless abandon. Quite frankly, I find him peculiar, but it is also the reason why I desire to know more about him."

"Ooh, he sounds like an interesting person. What's his name?" Lunch asked, clasping both her hands eagerly.

There was no need to explain everything right from the get go. Rather, gauging their reactions was much more important to her current endeavors.

"I wouldn't know."

"You're searching for the guy eventhough you don't know his name?" Bulma questioned, giving her a strange look.

"Yes. I believe that though we had only met for a short period, I cannot simply leave him alone, as he clearly has not accomplished what he had set out for."

She left it vague, so that they would not question her on the more specific details since they weren't exactly close.

What she did not foresee was their general reaction to be so...

"That's so...amazing of you!" They all yelled out in unison, sans Goku who had continued eating the food he had left with earlier.

Dramatic.

It was different from the life she had led throughout her childhood, where whispers and formal greeting were the norm. Despite her less than casual appearance, Goku's friends treated her quite amiably.

Kokomi couldn't say it wasn't exhausting with how loud they were, but...

She was a bit envious.

"I say you're in luck, we were just discussing about searching for dragon balls. So, we can actually help you look for this guy while we hunt for them. Word to the wise though, you're absolutely not taking them, got it?" Bulma emphasized the last part, pointing at her in a protective manner.

She had heard of that phrase before, and now that the opportunity had presented itself, Kokomi took this chance to inquire about them.

"Forgive my lack of knowledge, but what exactly are dragon balls?"

They all blinked for a moment, only for them to realize their mistake as they gave off an awkward laugh.

"Oh yeah, not many people are supposed to know about them. It's kinda funny how used to them we are nowadays," Yamcha commented off-handedly.

The others agreed with him, while Bulma was the one who let out a cough to quiet them down, "Well, the easiest way to explain is that there are seven mystical balls all scattered around the world. Once someone gathers them altogether, they can summon the almighty dragon Shenron who can grant any single wish."

A wish granting artifact?

That…was concerning. In her world, artifacts such as these usually were not as straightforward as giving what it was intended to. With the scope being as mighty as granting wishes, it was incredulous in her eyes..

"Does it truly bring about such a miracle? Even if they do, surely there are flaws in the process of making a wish into reality?"

"Believe it or not, it does work. I mean, we already used them twice and so far, Shenron hasn't ever failed in making a wish come true yet. If we're talking about the drawbacks, well…the dragon balls do become inert for a year before we can use them again, but it's not really an issue most of the time."

"Yup, Shenron is amazing. I wonder if I can ask for a spar the next time we summon him," Goku said casually as he burped loudly.

"You definitely aren't using the wish for something stupid like that!" Bulma retorted in mock anger.

Even with Bulma's explanation, Kokomi still believed that there must have been unseen consequences to using them.

According to Goku, a god named Kami was the one who had created them. While she trusted Goku, she did not know who this Kami was. The possibility that using divine artifacts so carelessly without much hindrances was quite frankly, impossible.

Nonetheless, She wondered if it was possible to make a wish in this dream that Goku was experiencing?

If she made a wish to awaken Goku from this long illusion, would he finally be aware of what was going on within this world?

No, it probably wouldn't work as this world would simply bend to the whims of the one who had no desire to leave.

And Goku himself did not know he was trapped, blissfully unaware of what was going on with his worsening condition.

She needed to restrategize and think up another method; A way that would convince him, surely there had to be.

"When...exactly will this trip of yours be conducted?" Kokomi inquired.

Bulma gave a thoughtful look, "Well, I was planning on starting on it tomorrow. The sooner I get this done, the earlier I can leave these dunderheads to their training."

"So you do understand how important it is to them," Oolong said, grinning.

"Just because I get it doesn't mean I wanna hear about it everyday!" Bulma yelled once more, her voice ringing in all of their ears.

"I see..."

This crossed off the possibility that this dream would loop continuously, as it was continually changing to fit the current scenario, as evident by her existence in a dream that she shouldn't be present for.

As she continued to dwell on the matter, the old man spoke up, "Well, little lady. Though it might be a bit cramped, you're welcome to stay at my house for a night."

She gave him a formal bow for the kind offer, "Thank you for your consideration."

"Don't let him fool you. Though he looks kinda nice and all that right now, the old man is a perverted bastard," Bulma said as she leaned in closer to Kokomi.

Sweat poured from the old man as he quickly tried to explain himself, "Now now, even I know this isn't the time for that right now."

So, he was as Bulma described, which somewhat contradicted the image of a master that the others had perceived him as.

Yet, it seemed they were all fine with it, especially Goku who was bobbing his head from side to side.

"How about we clean up and then grab a mattress for you? We can't let you sleep on the floor now, can we?" Lunch said as she started picking up the plates on the table.

"Yeah, I think it's about time we started hitting the hay. We have a lot of things to do tomorrow," Yamcha said.

The others agreed with him as they begun to tidy up the place.

As they did so, Goku turned to her, a perpetual smile still plastered across his face, "You hear that Kokomi? I bet we'll find that person you're looking for sooner or later."

She hoped so too, but she wanted to ensure that it was the former and not the latter.

For the second time in this dream, her eyes opened once more.

Then again, she couldn't sleep even if she wanted to. After all, how could one dream within a dream itself?

She looked around her surroundings, where Bulma and Lunch were staying in as well, sleeping soundly. It was safe to say that the others in the house were asleep as well, given how quiet the atmosphere was.

Kokomi took the silence as an opportunity for her to gather her thoughts, and slowly walked out of the house.

She was greeted by the image of the night sky, with stars filling up the sky in its entirety. Though there was no moon hanging in the sky, it was still beautiful all the same.

This was the kind of quietness that she yearned for.

It was a complete contrast to the people she met just now, each one possessing a personality that could be described as eccentric.

But most of all, they were frivolous, to the point that she believed many of them made decisions on what they personally wanted at the time.

In her eyes, it was a display of selfishness, but there was no malice that came from it as they were willing to help her despite only having one interaction.

It didn't only speak of the nature of Goku's friends, but of his as well.

She wondered...if she too one day could be so carefree, and indulged freely in what she loved to do without a care in the world…

She steeled herself as she got rid of such thoughts, for they were matters that only concerned her personally. Right now, her focus should be on one person.

Goku.

From the myriad of information she had received just now, this dream...or illusion was one that was indeed created from Goku himself.

It would make somewhat of a sense if it was true, but what was her biggest evidence for such a hypothesis?

Goku was younger than he actually was now, this meant that there was something in this time period that he longed for.

Not only that, the information that she had remembered from her first meeting with Goku on Watatsumi Island contradicted the ones that were given here, most notably about Goku's lack of knowledge on the creator of the dragon balls.

It didn't add up.

Yet, this was a world of illusions that was nothing but happiness for him.

No, she didn't believe that was the whole answer either.

To a certain extent, it was true, but at the same time it was not.

Rather, instead of a world filled with happiness it should be...

The sound of the door opening grabbed her attention, as she turned to the person that was a few steps away from her. It was Goku, who was just as surprised to see her as she was to him.

"You're here too Kokomi?" he asked as he walked closer to her proximity.

She nodded, "Yes, I couldn't get a moment of sleep, so I thought a nice walk, with a bit of stargazing would help pass the time."

"Ehehe, guess we were thinking the same things then," Goku said as he scratched his cheek.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Goku, but I would think you would rather continue your training than take a leisure time around in the middle of the night."

"Nah, I can't train all the time. Muten Roshi already told me once that overdoing it isn't good, so I just wanted to stare at the sky for a while, like what me and Grandpa Gohan used to do."

Another detail she did not know about Goku, yet this grandfather of his was not here in this dream…

By this point, she had so many things to ask him, but she didn't want to do so in such an unsatisfactory manner.

"You're welcome to join me, Goku."

"Sure!" Goku agreed all too easily, as he stood beside her.

The two then went into a comfortable silence, neither talking with one another as both stared at the wide ocean of stars in the sky.

However, Kokomi's mind was formulating the strategy that she needed to execute, for this was the chance that she believed was the best time to convince Goku.

How could she convince him to move on from this life that had no end in sight?

Of course, she couldn't be the sole reason to break him out, as she was by no means an important figure in his life..

That was the truth. No matter how amiable a person was, there will always be people they treasured in their hearts. She had only met him recently and while their interactions had been interesting, they in no way could compare to that of the bond of his friends from his world.

What she had to do was simple then.

She simply had to remind him...to make him realize that what he had right now might be real to him, but it was not reality.

It certainly wasn't...what she believed Goku wanted either.

For that, she had to push the conversation to a direction that allowed Goku to reach such conclusions by himself.

"Goku, is everyday fun for you?"

Turning his focus from the sky, he nodded, "Mmhmm, and I've also got so much stuff to look forward to, so yeah. Everyday has been really fun for me."

"But is there anything that you believe might be missing?"

He blinked in confusion, "Like what?"

Instead of answering his question, she continued her questioning, "Tell me, what do you envision yourself doing in the future?"

Goku wasn't getting what she implied, but still tried his best to follow along, "Like I said, looking for dragon balls—"

"Beside that," she said firmly.

Goku wavered for a moment, clearly not expecting such a response.

Kokomi leaned in closer, staring at him intently as she continued, "Is that truly all you believe you would be doing in the foreseeable future?"

Kokomi didn't know, she couldn't have known what Goku had done in this future, but she did know that the path he was taking on was different from the actual reality he had lived up until this point.

She would challenge his notion of this world, and shatter it.

"Yeah, there couldn't be anything else right?"

His hesitation was becoming obvious as the conversation went on, but it was still not enough it seemed.

For someone like Goku, subtlety was not the way she should approach this, rather…

"Then what of your training at the Sanctuary, is that not something you would do?"

"Sanctuary, what's that, I…ca—"

Goku clutched his head in pain, which immediately made her realize she had made a mistake as she placed her hand tenderly on his head, softening the pain.

"Apologies, it seems that what I've just said merely served to confuse you."

Goku blinked, the sudden pain in his head fading as he stared at her.

She breathed in once more, as her mouth opened to state the one thing she should have asked in the first place.

"Goku, what is your dream?"

He froze on the spot, as if the information was something that he knew, yet he couldn't quite give it no matter how hard he tried.

She answered it for him.

"Is it not training everyday so that you may challenge strong adversaries? Is it not to make great companions that will be in your heart for the longest of times? Is it not also having endless adventures to the end of a lifetime?"

"That's...that's—"

This was it, she merely had to seize a victory for both her and him.

"Didn't you tell me once before that you have no dream because you simply follow whatever you heart desires, yet why do you continue to dream, even now Goku?"

It was a simple question, really.

The effect however, was almost immediate.

The moment her eyes blinked, the boy before her no longer stood there confused, instead it was the young man she had met on that very night in the ocean.

"Kokomi, what are you doing here in my world!? Wait...this isn't..." Goku said as he gave her a once-over, as well as himself.

She giggled, and had only one answer to his inquiry.

"Welcome back."

He stopped, his face contorting to something akin to confusion, before finally settling to a comfortable expression.

"Thanks. Hehe, it does feel kinda weird having a lot of memories about this place, and not just what happened back home," Goku said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Have you been here for long?"

He laughed awkwardly, "No idea. I never counted the days at all, but...I think it was after the day of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai."

Goku then stared at the house behind them, realization settling in as he finally understood what was different from his actual reality.

"Oh, I get it. This is a place where Piccolo never showed up, so that's why Kuririn is..."

He never finished his sentence, his mind deep in thought on a matter that she had no clue about.

He broke out of the trance as another question arose, "Wait, if this isn't my world, then how come you're here then Kokomi?"

"Simple. This location lays deep within your mind, I merely entered into it," she stated as if it was a matter of fact.

"Eeh!? You can do that?"

"Not under normal circumstances, I assure you."

He then crossed both his arms, "So, if this is all in my head...what made you come here?"

"Well, there was a certain someone who had gone and challenged the Raiden Shogun to a duel. Though he had fought to the best of his abilities, he lost."

He did not deny it in the slightest, "Oh yeah, I remember that! Then I fell into the ocean because of her last technique."

She continued on, "And then, you were saved by the people you had just befriended, yet your condition continued to worsen from the aftermath of the Musou no Hitotachi."

Kokomi held Goku's rapt attention, "It was only through the combined efforts of many that they were able to bring you safely to me, and with the knowledge they acquired of your condition was I able to temporarily remove them from you."

Goku nodded along with her explanation, somewhat following it so far.

"There was one issue, and it was..."

She did not explain further, merely tapped his forehead, which let him immediately understand what she was getting at.

"You didn't want to leave, or at the very least...you believed that this was the world you have always lived in. Thus, that is the reason why I'm here."

"I guess even if I never thought much about it, there's still some things that I always wanted to stay the same, especially..."

His vision drifted to someplace far away, before denying it altogether, "It doesn't matter, since this ain't my real world."

Now this was something she did not want him to misunderstand, "It doesn't have to be, it may not be the real reality that you have, but it is still your inner world."

It was paramount that Goku did not have the wrong idea of this dream. It might have been what trapped him here, but it served as a good place of temporary solace for him all the same.

Goku let out a chuckle at her words, "My inner world huh...guess I have a lot of people to thank for saving me then."

"I suppose, if you desire to do so," she calmly answered him.

He then stared at her in the eyes as he gave the widest smile she had ever seen, "So, thanks Kokomi. If it weren't for you, I probably would still be stuck here huh?"

Her eyes widened, before giving him a reserved smile of her own, "It was my pleasure Goku."

The two stood like that for a period of time, neither giving any attention to the stars above them unlike before.

Goku was the first to break the silence, "So, since I know what's going on now...how come we're not out of this place yet?"

It was a good point, one that she had been deliberating on as well, "I do not have a conclusive answer for that, just mere guesses..."

"Oh, then just say what it is then Kokomi so we can get out of here."

"You would believe me so easily? What if the ideas I propose are dangerous? After all, this experience is a first for me as well, so not everything that I believe might work will always go as planned."

He did not even think about his next response, "Yup, I believe in you Kokomi. Plus, If it doesn't work out, then we'll just try the next thing. I might not be good at thinking, but I do know there's no use thinking about it too much. Nothing can be done if we don't try, right?"

Indeed. She agreed with that statement wholeheartedly.

"There is one method I believe that should bring us out of slumber..."

Just as she was about to continue her explanation, Goku interrupted her as he turned towards Kame House, "Oh, before that… I got something I gotta do."

Kokomi merely stared as Goku sprinted into a run towards Kame House, only to stop right at the entrance.

"Hey, everyone!" He yelled at the top of the lung, startling every one of his friends, evident by their startled yells.

The first to appear was Kuririn, who was rubbing his eyes tiredly as he came out of the door, "Goku, you didn't have to yell. We were just slee—"

He stared, eyes wide opened upon seeing Goku's appearance.

"You're...Goku right? When did you suddenly get so tall!?"

Instead of explaining, Goku opted to say something else entirely.

"Kuririn, you died once."

If there were any indications that his friend was tired, there were none now upon hearing what Goku just said, "Come on Goku, this isn't a good time to joke around."

"I'm not, but it's okay cause you were brought back by Shenron," Goku stated, smiling.

Kuririn was dumbfounded, as he obviously couldn't comprehend what Goku was talking about. After all, in his eyes he was very much well and alive.

Not to mention he was still processing the idea of an older Goku staring at him, not the friend who had always been similar in age to him.

Then, the rest of Goku's friends joined in the conversation as the upper windows of the building were open wide, their voices projecting into the cold air.

"What's with all the ruckus?"

"Goku, you better have a good excuse for waking all of us in the middle of the night!"

"My boy, I get that you're excited but have you forgotten about the importance of rest?"

"Yeah Goku, we can go all out starting tomorrow."

Just like Kuririn, they all gave a similar response, but it all died down when they were rendered speechless at the radical change in Goku's appearance.

It did not last however, as shouting could be heard from the window even more upon the discovery of this new revelation, but Goku ignored it as he turned his back against them.

Then, he ran.

As he did so, Goku waved back at them cheerfully, "Yosh, I guess it's time I say goodbye to you guys. I promise I'll return to see you all again, not in this place, but at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai back in our world!"

Kokomi saw another shift in demeanour from Goku's friends. Before, they were understandably asking questions as they should, but right after Goku sent his farewell…there was now a look of acceptance from all of them, ones that she suspect not so much from Goku's impression of his friends, rather—

Her assumption might have been wrong however, as their actions later completely contradicted what their face was expressing just a moment ago.

"We'll see ya later Goku!"

There were tears, one not out of sorrow, but of joy.

To Kokomi, the scene was heartwarming, and it spoke so much of the bonds that Goku had made even if this world was not the true reality.

Her point of view was upended as her entire body was lifted from the ground as Goku proceeded to carry her in a bridal carry, one of her sandals being flung into the air in the process.

"Kokomi, what do we have to do to get out?" he asked, his feet moving further and further into the sea, never bothering to take one last look at his friends.

He sure was in a hurry, perhaps due to the fact that he had already said goodbye to his friends.

Or because he didn't want to show it, for she could see a droplet of water very much resembling that to a tear.

But he was smiling nonetheless.

While there were many ideas they could try out, the one she had earlier was discarded as she felt that this one she was about to suggest would be the most effective method in escaping his inner world.

That, and she wanted to give a bit of retribution on Goku for interrupting her explanation just now, alongside his casual act of causing her to blush a bit by carrying her in such an embarrassing position.

"Let's sink down into the sea together."

Goku didn't even stop to question her suggestion, as if he was expecting such an answer from her, "You really are weird, you know that Kokomi?"

"It takes two, don't you believe so? Is that your way to say that you do not want to?"

"Nah, let's do it. Just kinda weird since that was how I got into this dream in the first place, you know?"

That was true, but she believed it was also the most effective method.

Wrapping her slender arms around Goku, the martial artist blinked as she pulled both of the two into the ocean.

With that, the two could no longer be seen by his friends in this world, who were merely smiling at the end, waving their arms goodbye.

As they sunk further into the waters, Goku held his breath instinctively while Kokomi simply closed her eyes, allowing her body to let the feeling of the water envelop her.

Noticing this, Goku followed suit as well, as he trusted her judgment in this regard.

Unbeknownst to them, a group of fish passed by them, swimming gracefully. If both of them had opened their eyes, they would have noticed one of them resembled awfully to one person in particular.

Beidou was startled from her sleep as the bright light within Sangonomiya's room faded away, followed along by the odd silence surrounding it afterwards.

She waited, believing that it was simply because she was still tired after having maintained her barrier for the past few days.

However, as the minutes passed by, she could hear no sound nor movement, which concerned her a bit. After another ten minutes of nothing but silence, she decided to find out what was going on.

Upon doing so, she couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the comforting scene before her.

"Heh, you don't see this kind of thing everyday."

Both Sangonomiya and Son were sprawled on the floor, with the former atop the latter, sleeping blissfully away with no concern in the world.

Beidou believed it was well deserved, seeing that the uncontrollable electro energy was no longer present in the room.

While she continued to smirk at the scene before her, the corner of her eyes then noticed a piece of paper that stood out from the rest.

Picking it up, she then read the contents of it, and gave a knowing smirk at the pair, but specifically at the Divine Priestess.

Leave it to Sangonomiya to have plans even for such a scenario.

Though, the captain of The Crux did wonder if she should request for a little extra something for their efforts.

Chapter Text

The first thing Goku felt upon waking up was the stiffness that accompanied him all the way from his shoulders to his legs. It took more than a few seconds before his body moved for the first time in what felt like ages.

Turning his face to the side, his eyes slowly adjusted to his surroundings until he noticed that he was lying on a futon within a room of some sorts, for what seemed to be a while judging from the stiffness of his body.

With a bit of effort, Goku lifted his upper body from the bed. The moment he did so however, he received a headache that caused his thoughts to be in an even messier state than before. It was so bad that he was unable to sense anything around him as someone entered the room.

"It seems you're awake. I have to say, I wasn't quite sure what to think of the whole situation when both you and Her Excellency were brought back here unconscious," a woman, garbed in the traditional shrine maiden attire.

Goku knew that voice, "Tsuyuko?"

She nodded in affirmation, "Seems you're conscious enough to still remember me, which has to mean I left quite a bit of impression last time, didn't I Goku?" she said somewhat teasingly.

With a slight daze, Goku decided to inquire about his current whereabouts, "Where am I?"

"But not cognitive enough to recognize a place you've already visited. Well, right now, you're in one of the guest rooms of the Sangonomiya Shrine."

Right...now that he got his bearings back, the room did look somewhat familiar to him. Then again, his thoughts at the time weren't particularly on the design of the infrastructure.

Still feeling quite wooden, Goku finally decided to stand up in an attempt to stretch his entire body.

In doing so, the bed covering fell off from his person, exposing his bare upper body to the natural elements. That wasn't unusual per say, but as Goku's eyes traveled downward, he noticed something that wasn't present before.

A scar.

He had never thought about it too much when it came to battle injuries. Despite the many battles he had involved himself with, there were hardly any battles that ever had any lasting effects on his body. A good rest or a quick snack of a Senzu would usually heal him up quite nicely.

Even taking on the entire Red Ribbon Army or having broken limbs when fighting Piccolo did not have any long lasting consequences, physically speaking.

This was different.

It was neither a small nor a light cut either, but one embedded deeply into his person, for it was a clean straight line that connected from his left chest to his right side of his stomach.

This would be a reminder of a battle that he had with the Raiden Shogun. One that he couldn't simply wash away.

Normally, one would lament on their past decisions, but for Goku...he was fine with it. It was simple after all, he fought the Raiden Shogun, and he lost. Nothing more complicated than that, and the scar was simply the consequences of what occurred from such a battle.

Goku grinned as he turned towards Tsuyuko, "Hehe, guess it's what I get for losing then."

Tsuyuko's expression did not indicate a hint of bemusement at his words, rather concern was plastered all over her.

Unaware of her thoughts, Goku expressed the first thing that came to mind, "Since I'm up and all, I guess Kokomi woke up way faster than I did."

It took a moment before Tsuyuko could give him an answer, "...Let's discuss this after I get you something to eat. I bet you're going to wolf down the futon at this rate, right?"

Goku was about to refute that for once, but his stomach disagreed as it let out a loud rumbling noise.

"Just as I thought. Don't stress your head about it, I'll whip up something quick and easy."

As Tsuyuko stood at the shoji, she stopped momentarily before continuing on, "Oh yeah, your clothes are to your left. Unfortunately, your original gi was already in tatters when you were brought here, and there wasn't anything we could do to recover it. So, you'll have to put up with one of our spares for now."

Before Goku could reply, she was already gone, leaving him to stare at the piece of clothing beside him. When he picked it up to give it a once-over, all he could think of was how unsuitable it was for training.

"Eh!? I've been asleep for more than two weeks!?" Goku yelled out after placing the last empty bowl on the table, with pieces of rice stuck on the corner of his mouth.

"You wouldn't believe the amount of noise you two caused at the shrine brought back like that. After that, most of the shrine maidens here were beginning to think that Her Excellency would never recover since there hasn't even been a hint of her waking up until now."

"So, Kokomi hasn't woken up yet..."

With the way he put it, Tsuyuko had a suspicion that Goku at least knew more than all the others here, "Do you perhaps have an idea why Her Excellency hasn't recovered at the same time as you have?"

Goku thought about it for a bit, before giving her a knowing smile, "It's probably cause it's taking her longer to drown."

It was obvious to Tsuyuko that it was some sort of joke between the two, but to utter that so casually...

"Goku, you are extremely fortunate that I am the one tending to you, and not anyone else."

And wasn't that the truth? If the others had heard him say such a ridiculous statement, they would have already cursed him both figuratively and perhaps even literally, especially because of Her Excellency's current condition.

Not that they didn't bear any ill wills towards him already. It was why she alone was the only one taking care of their guest upon being dropped off by that particular woman with the eyepatch.

Sometimes, Tsuyuko believed that none of them even knew Her Excellency that much, if at all. Even she, to some extent, was not able to completely grasp the Divine Priestess's thought process.

...but she was at least sure that Her Excellency did not want Goku to be treated with such wariness.

"Guess it's a good thing you're here then Tsuyuko. Anyway, with Kokomi still not up, I guess I'm gonna take a walk around then. My body still feels really stiff, so I really need to do something to loosen them up," Goku said, rolling his right shoulder.

"I suppose I would have to alert the others about your current condition, which I'm sure they would be happy about. With that said, it would be best if you don't return too early...as there are going to be a few issues that need to be sorted out."

Mainly on the other priestesses' reaction to Goku waking up faster than their Divine Priestess, which Tsuyuko was sure was going to go as well as their last discussion on what to do with their guest.

"That said, I'm curious. What are your plans after seeing the scenery? That can't be the only thing you're thinking of, right?"

A normal person would have been affected to their very core because of such experiences, yet Goku was treating it as normal despite going through what could be considered an execution from the Archon herself.

"If you're talking about what I'm going to do...well—"

What was uttered by Goku next was heard by the only individuals present in the room, for it was an answer that surprised Tsuyuko more than what she initially thought of the individual known as Son Goku.

"Hah!" Goku roared out as he let out a high kick into the air.

At the moment, he was at a location that no resident of Watatsumi Island would ever bother to wander around at. This was not a case for him, as this was the perfect place for what he had planned ever since he had awoken from slumber.

The very first thing he had done upon arriving was to practice his kata, repeating the motion of patterns that he had ingrained himself ever since he began training all those years ago. This was sorely needed since he still felt as if there was a gigantic weight holding down his body.

Despite that however, he wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he did feel the tiniest bit lighter when he was moving around just now, but that feeling was quickly overtaken by the stiffness in his muscles.

Besides that, there was also something obviously slowing down his recovery.

His ki.

At the moment, his ki reserves were ridiculously low, so much so he could probably only fire off a single Kamehameha.

It wouldn't hinder his ability to fight per say, but it did significantly hamper his ability to go further beyond his full physical strength. Then again, it did make sense why his condition was so poor right now, seeing his body was actively protecting him from dying to the aftermath of the Musou no Hitotachi for so long.

Naturally, this meant that it was going to take a while before he was at full strength again, but it was nothing a good rest or two won't do, so at least there wasn't any abnormality beside his low ki reserves.

That said, Goku wasn't too worried about his physical condition, but more so focusing back on his clash with the Shogun.

He extended his right arm, clutching nothing but the air as he envisioned her standing right in front of him, her sword already in motion to cut him down.

No matter how much he recalled back to that particular moment, he just did not understand what happened with the final clash between his Kamehameha and her Musou no Hitotachi.

He understood how his opponent was able to maintain her balance by enduring the technique head on, but the slash was the one thing that evades his understanding of the entire fight.

One moment she was readying her swing, and the next, she had somehow completed the motion of the slash as she stood behind him.

It was as if she somehow separated herself from the blast and bypassed it completely, with speeds that even he couldn't perceive.

Was it just sheer strength, or was there something more to it than that?

Goku shook his head as he began to relax himself, his eyes turning to the sea instead.

Why was he overcomplicating it? Analyzing and understanding the technique was fine and all, but there was no use overthinking on something that he did not understand one bit.

This applies even more, what with him being in a world unlike his own. So, not everything he understood about combat could apply with what he had learnt in his journey thus far.

Ki was similar to Vision, but at the same time, they were not the same.

Inwardly, he was a bit excited at noticing the differences more and more, as he believed that with a better understanding there was a chance that he could perhaps mimic the use of elements with his own usage of ki.

With the topic in mind, he didn't think he could copy every element out there, as he himself was only able to understand about ki intimately just more than a year ago, so there were still many things he couldn't do by himself without any sort of guidance.

Heh, even after all the training he did, he still had a long way to go huh?

His thoughts were then interrupted, as he sensed a person approaching his general location.

He would have disregarded it, as even in areas like these, there would always be one wanderer or such that would travel to places such as this one, but there was something distinctly different about this person.

The ki of this individual was blatantly different from the many residents situated at Watatsumi Island. What was more alarming however, was that he was sensing a lot of other life signatures following behind them.

...and they were very similar to the one-eyed monsters that floated on the island, the ones where he had eaten a bunch of them just to satiate his hunger and curiosity. Strangely, they were moving at a walking speed, so it didn't seem like that person was in any danger of sorts.

What he thought turned out to be true, as said individual arriving came into view, as well as a group of specters with different colors accompanying him.

Goku already knew what needed to be done, as he began to spring into action.

Shikanoin Heizou considered himself a talented individual. Why would he not? After all, there was no point in humility if his achievements had already said much more than his words ever could to those who doubted him..

So when he was ordered by a superior at the top to obtain information on Watatsumi Island by infiltrating it, he quickly agreed.

He did not do it for the sake of completing the task given however, as it just happened to be an excellent opportunity for him to sightsee one of the islands that had distanced itself from the mainland of Inazuma.

This applied more so with the ongoing civil war.

Really, he had no plans at all to involve himself with such a thing. He merely wanted to be one of those excited tourists that were simply transfixed by every little thing they saw before them.

Despite the initial difficulties that came from simply docking his boat onto the island, courtesy of the many guards that were situated here, he found Watatsumi Island to be a perfect location for a vacation getaway. He could very safely say he had been enjoying his vacation here even with the somewhat watchful eyes some of the Sangonomiya soldiers here had on him.

Still, there was another matter that was at the forefront of his mind...

The strange dream that he had on the first night on this island.

The main thing he could recall from it was that there was something missing on Watatsumi Island.

One would usually write them as mere nonsense, or perhaps some divine message from the Gods themselves. He, on the other hand, did not believe in any of that. To him, dreams such as these were flashes of his intuition shining through.

And so far, they had never led him astray, so why would he ignore them now?

Thus, on his fourth day at the island, he had ventured out a bit further to see what he was missing out compared to walking around in Bourou village. This was done not only for sightseeing more of the scenery, but also to discover the meaning behind his dream.

What he did not expect was to see a group of specters quickly noticing his presence by one of the many waterfalls that were present on Watatsumi Island.

Being the collected person he was, he merely let out a composed smile before turning to another direction.

Unfortunately, that only urged them on to follow him instead, slowly converging as they moved forward until they were right behind him as he continued onward to his next destination.

It was why he was currently heading towards one of the edges of the island, as an open area was a much more suitable arena for his fighting style.

That, and there was always the possibility they could leave him alone once they were satisfied.

What he hoped for unfortunately did not occur once reaching said location. Resolving himself to the upcoming skirmish, he turned around to face the specters but did not stop moving as he walked backwards, his eyes tracking their every movement while he thought of his next best course of action.

"My, I must say. I wasn't quite expecting my vacation day to turn out so eventful today," he said casually, as if what was transpiring did not concern him one bit.

The specters responded by floating towards him at a pace faster than before, something that he noticed almost immediately, causing him to clench his right fist unconsciously.

Before any of the sides made the first move, an unexpected factor came into play as a seeming blur jumped in from the side, causing small clouds of dust to be formed as it landed in between him and the specters.

None of the specters were even able to respond to the suddenness of the situation, as one of them was immediately thrown straight towards one of the smaller cliffs, shattering into pieces upon impact.

As the dust settled, Heizou was finally able to bear witness to who his unknown savior was.

It was a young man, presumably at the cusp of being an adult themselves, with loose clothing that clearly did not fit his fighting prowess.

"Oi, you alright?" the person asked in a somewhat crude manner.

Knowing that this interesting newcomer was referring to him, Heizou gave him an almost immediate response, "Yes, very much so. I would thank you, but I believe there's still quite a bit of cleaning up to do."

The person waved him off before giving a confident grin, "Nah, don't worry about it. Just wait a bit while I take care of 'em."

The moment his savior turned around to face the group of specters, every one of them visibly backed away, almost as if they were scared of the opponent standing before them.

Heizou found this scene surreal, because it was definitely a first for him to see specters behave in such a way.

A staredown between them occurred for only but a moment, but it was enough as the specters all quickly fled in terror as they dispersed into multiple directions.

Blinking confusedly at the retreating form of the specters, his savior relaxed his stance almost entirely, "Huh. Guess they didn't want to fight after all. That, or maybe they recognize me since I ate so many of them already."

The off-handed comment absolutely did not escape Heizou's notice.

Still, his interest was piqued, and his intuition was telling him that this person before him was exactly who he was looking for.

"I must thank you again, o' valiant savior of mine. A regular tourist like me would definitely have been in a heap of trouble if it weren't for your timely intervention."

"Don't mentio—Hmmm" his savior hummed in contemplation, stopping what he originally wanted to say as he observed Heizou from top to bottom.

Heizou was used to stares that were filled with malice due to his occupation, but not so much one out of pure curiosity, "Yes?"

The person relented in his scrutiny as he spoke, "Nah, guess I was wrong. You definitely didn't need my help back there."

Now this certainly took Heizou by surprise, "Oh, and what would make you come to such a conclusion?"

"Your stance. I can tell you were ready to fight now that I got a closer look at ya. You're a martial artist too, right?"

Although it came out as a question, Heizou could clearly tell that this individual before him was already assured of his assessment, and merely asked out of confirmation.

While he had already known this person was someone who practiced the arts from the way he moved, he did not expect to be deduced just as easily as well.

His savior was certainly not one to be underestimated, that was for sure.

"Ah, it seems I've been caught red-handed, and here I thought I was doing a good job of disguising myself as a simple tourist. There is one thing I must correct however, I consider myself to be of another profession first before being a martial artist."

"Really? But I can tell you're pretty good at it though...hey, you wanna spar?"

The sheer bluntness and enthusiasm that exuded from this person was unexpected even for Heizou, but he was thankfully able to answer in his usual manner.

"While enticing, I would like to simply enjoy my vacation at the moment so you'll have to forgive me for refusing your request."

Honestly, Heizou did not really mind going for a simple sparring session with another martial artist, but what he was truly interested in was this person's response.

"That's too bad. Guess I'll just have to continue training by myself then."

With that, the supposed martial artist turned his back towards him and walked away, with nothing more to say.

Meanwhile, Heizou found his answer to be...intriguing.

In his experience, people tend to be more curious when they are aware they are being withheld from information they believe they should possess. Yet, this person moved on as he had nothing more to inquire despite finding his answer to be an unfortunate one judging from how excited his tone and voice was. It informed him that this person currently held a single-minded mindset, which was strange considering the serene yet relaxing location they were in that did not justify the need for such a thing.

He couldn't let his subject of curiosity go just like that now, could he?

"Let's not get too hasty here. How about this, I won't spar with you, but I'll demonstrate a bit of my martial arts for you to see. I believe that is good enough of a compromise for you?"

The immediate turnaround almost made Heizou believe that he was faking disinterest, "Ooh, I'm okay with that. I bet it's really cool."

"Great, but before we get into it, would you first give me the privilege of knowing your name?"

"Sure! The name's Goku!"

He suspected it wasn't his full name, but chalked it up to Goku preferring to introduce himself informally rather than deliberately hiding it, "Goku you say...well, Goku, my name is Shikanoin Heizou, currently a tourist on Watatsumi Island."

Goku stood in a thinking posture upon hearing his introduction, "Now that I think about it, I never did see anyone like you around before."

"I've only just arrived a few days ago, so it's understandable for that to be the case."

"I guess that makes sense, I've only woken up after two weeks of sleep so I wouldn't know what's been going on lately," Goku said casually.

Heizou observed his body language, but could not find any sort of sign that he was lying, which made him raise his eyebrows.

"Anyway, you gotta show me your moves already," Goku said as he walked a step closer towards him, eyes filled with excitement.

"I can quite confidently say I've never seen such an enthusiastic person towards the ways of martial arts before. Are you perhaps always this excited to see new techniques?"

The response was almost instantaneous.

"You bet!"

"Then I suppose I will try my best to meet your expectations then. Now, where would be the ideal place for such a thing..."

Heizou's eyes looked over to their surroundings, and found the nearest spot that was suitable for his demonstration.

"Ah, this would do," Heizou stated before walking off to the direction he alluded to, with Goku following in tow..

Goku sat in full concentration as his eyes followed every little movement Heizou was currently executing. Between Heizou's combination of punches, elbows, and kicks, he was able to quickly identify the type of fighting style that Heizou employed.

It fit the supposed tourist, and assured him that he was correct in his assessment that Heizou would have been fine without him butting in with those one-eyed monsters.

However...there was something off about it. In Goku's eyes, what Heizou seemed to be doing was far below what he was truly capable of, judging from the small gaps that occurred between each strike.

If he had to relate it to training, then it was like going back to an old routine despite the new one being far more efficient. He could tell Heizou had become somewhat awkward with this pattern of kata, eventhough it seemed perfect at a quick glance.

Finally finished with his demonstration, Heizou walked towards Goku, his breathing still normal despite the techniques he had displayed.

"What's the matter, Goku? Are you perhaps disappointed by what you just witnessed?" Heizou asked, having seen the expression on Goku's face.

"Nah. I think it's a pretty nice fighting style, but there is one thing that's bothering me about it..."

Heizou's eyes were once again lit in curiosity, as he proceeded to question him, "And that would be?"

He held no hesitation as he vocalized his thoughts, "You're holding back. I can tell from how you moved just now. Sure, you kinda did your best with what you currently got, but it also feels like you go even faster than what you just showed me."

It was not an accusation, but a statement that Goku was completely confident in.

"...to think I could be seen through this easily yet again. You might make a good detective if I do say so myself, Goku," Heizou remarked, letting out another easygoing-smile.

"As for your thoughts, you would be correct. While I've practiced the Fudou Style regularly like this, I have another way to utilize them in a more effective manner, if you will."

In response, Goku pointed towards the accessory that Heizou carried on his person, "It's that thing around your waist, a Vision was it? You can only use your full strength with it right?"

"Right again. Still, I don't feel the need to demonstrate the elemental power of my Vision, unless..."

Goku did not understand what Heizou was implying at all, but he had his own idea on how to approach things.

"I'm not really good at talking about stuff all smart-like. How about this, if I show you I can do the same thing you did just now, then you show me how you can use it with your Vision."

Heizou was strangely quiet, his expression exhibiting a hint of seriousness for the first time Goku had met him as he mulled over the idea by the looks of it.

"Very well, I can agree to that. I am curious about the confidence you're showing Goku. Is it bravado or..."

Goku didn't hear anymore of it, as he simply got up from the ground and was already beginning the motions of what Heizou had shown him just seconds ago.

He was able to easily imagine an opponent right before him, and proceeded to copy the exact movements he had seen.

First, it was a quick right jab into the air, followed up by an immediate left elbow.

With his imaginary opponent disoriented, he then gave a spin kick into the air to hook his opponent back onto him, before releasing a successive series of kicks on their abdomen until finally, finishing it with another spin kick that was aimed to push the opponent away.

Without even waiting for Heizou's response to his display of the martial arts, Goku continued on with the many other combinations of kata Heizou had also demonstrated.

This went on for minutes on end, with the observer looking on with silence at the impressive display.

Once Goku completed everything he remembered, Heizou clapped his hands together as he approached, "I have to say, I was honestly skeptical you could pull it off but to think, you were able to grasp the Fudou Style Martials Arts with a simple glance."

"Hehe. Well, what you showed me was pretty clear, so I was able to get it pretty easily."

Heizou let out a mild laugh, before going into a more combative stance, "A deal is a deal. So, now it's my turn again to show you what I can truly do."

As Goku stood back, he quickly sensed the fluctuation of energy around Heizou as wind began to gather around the other martial artist's right fist.

Then, he saw it.

As Heizou let out a right hook into the air, Goku could feel the air shaking momentarily as the air around pushed and pulled, almost like a swirl of sorts if he had to explain what he had just felt.

This continued on just like his earlier demonstrations. Still, there was a noticeable difference, not in terms of stances, but of movement.

Every little movement Heizou displayed was sharper, and he could tell they were stronger as well, and that noticeable gap that Goku saw before had diminished.

There was also that small gust of wind swirling around the area of his right hand, lingering even after he had dispersed them with each one of his strikes.

So this was the use of Vision through...Anemo.

In a way, it was sort of similar to a technique Kami had taught him, the one where he was able to push someone from afar by simply exerting ki in a single direction.

With the way Heizou used his Vision however, he was not only pushing the wind away but also pulling them in as well, to the point that it was circling above the palm of his hand.

Goku had never thought of using ki in such a way, and neither did any of his teachers apparently. Either that, or they wanted him to discover techniques like this by himself. He might need to ask them whenever he would meet with them again.

His thoughts halted as Heizou jumped high up into the air, with strong wind circling around him until it coalesced into a small ball of concentrated air.

It was only a moment but Goku could feel the torrent of energy contained within it, preparing to burst open as it struggled to maintain its form.

...only for Heizou to kick it towards the ground below him.

The ground shook as a vortex of wind exploded upon impact, to the point that even Goku who was several distances away realized that his body was being slowly pulled towards the center of the technique. It did not take much for him to maintain his balance, but it was still a noteworthy feat nonetheless.

"How was that Goku? Surely this one met your standards," Heizou asked in a nonchalant manner, as he descended back onto the ground near his vicinity.

Despite his tone of voice, Goku could tell that Heizou had indeed exerted a significant portion of his stamina, with his breathing being slightly ragged than usual.

"It was great! But...I still get the feeling you haven't shown me your best yet, Heizou," Goku said cheekily.

"You're rather hard to please, aren't you Goku? Whether I did or not, I can tell from the expression on your face that you're at the very least satisfied, correct?"

Well, yeah. Even if Heizou hadn't displayed everything in regards to the Fudou Style martial arts, he had already seen all he needed to, especially in regards to the utilization of Vision in combat.

"Yeah, I'm good. Alright, so if I'm remembering how ya did it..." Goku muttered off as he walked off into the area Heizou was just standing on.

Heizou curiously observed from the sides, anticipating his next action as Goku stopped in his tracks, thinking how exactly to recreate it with his own ki.

It did not take long for Goku to break the silence.

"Yosh, I think I got it," Goku proclaimed loudly as he got into the same stance Heizou did moments ago.

Goku twisted his right wrist around for an instance, but nothing occurred.

This was fine, it just meant that simply exerting his ki outward wasn't enough to produce the results he wanted, which was what he already expected. For his next attempt, he needed to twist the air around and maintain its rotation with his ki after moving his wrist around.

He then did the same action again, only this time it resulted in the wind around him to slightly shift towards his direction.

It was progress. He was able to pull the wind towards him, but he still came up short in pushing it out until it rotated around his hands.

Despite his second attempt, Goku knew he was at the cusp of grasping the technique already. Instead of thinking about it too deeply, he twisted his right wrist for the third time. However, he did not wait to see whether or not it would work, but immediately followed up by letting out a quick jab into the air.

As soon as his arm leaned forward, a small pool of air swirled around it, his loose clothes flapping in the wind until it finally spreaded forward, blasting the area in front of him.

After doing so, Goku pulled back his right arm to observe the current condition of his hand, only to find that there were now indeed traces of wind lingering between his fingertips, evidence that what he had just done was exactly the results he had been after.

Before celebrating too early, Goku closed his eyes in deep concentration to feel out his current ki reserves, and noticed that using this new technique did not take too much out of him.

It probably would be at a higher intensity, but since he was still at the beginning stage of the technique, learning how to control it first would be more important than increasing the output so he'll probably be fine if he kept practicing it. In his weakened state, this was the perfect way for him to train.

As Goku opened his eyes once more, he was greeted by the sight of Heizou eyeing him with bewilderment, "You are...a bag of surprises Goku. Truly, I've underestimated your capabilities."

"Well, it ain't the exact same since I don't have a Vision, but for me, this is more than enough,," Goku said cheerfully.

This would open up another option during battles, in addition to that lightning technique he recreated before leaving Watatsumi Island for the first time.

"It might be intrusive of me to ask Goku, but if your skills are what I believed them to be, I see no reason why you would not continue strengthening the arts that you already possessed? I can tell that it isn't simply your enthusiasm in the martial arts that fuels your desire to learn."

Goku guessed that was reasonable for him to ask, so he answered honestly, "Well, it's cause I just lost a fight. So, I'm training to prepare for the next time I fight her again. With what I had before, it really wasn't enough even when I gave it everything I got."

"Her?"

"Yeah, the Raiden Shogun."

Silence ensued as Heizou was struck with a look of realization, while Goku innocently blinked at him, unknowing of the other's thought process.

"And…when exactly did this battle take place?"

"Well, Tsuyuko said I've been asleep for more than two weeks, so probably around that long."

Heizou put on another contemplative look, one that Goku finally took note of. Was there anything wrong with what he just said?

"Heizou, you alright?"

It was Goku's voice that finally broke Heizou from his trance, "Oh, I'm fine. It's just that if you told that to anyone else they would be hard-pressed to believe you."

Goku scratched his left cheek as he thought about it harder, "Ehh...I guess you might be right. With how bored she looked, I guess not a lot of people like to fight with her, huh?"

Though he said that, he knew the Shogun he fought wasn't emotionless. He definitely felt it during the end of their battle.

…and when he was trapped in his inner world.

Unbeknownst to Goku, what he had just said thoroughly baffled Heizou into further silence. It was simply because what he uttered was unheard of, because no citizen of Inazuma would ever consider that to be the case when it came to their Archon.

"But you believe me right Heizou?"

Heizou looked up to him slightly before responding, "To tell you the truth, I'm still trying to digest this information myself. That being said, logically speaking with what transpired that day...it does add up."

Goku tilted his head sideways in confusion, "That day?"

"Don't worry your head about it Goku. Isn't it better to put your efforts into your training at the moment?"

To a more perceptive person, they would have noticed that Heizou was deflecting the question. Fortunately for Heizou, Goku was more interested in his training compared than anything else right now.

"Hey, you're right! Guess you're going back to the village then Heizou?"

Heizou shook his head, denying Goku's assumption, "Oh no. If it's not too much of a bother I would like to watch you train for a bit."

"Okay, but don't blame me if you get bored Heizou."

He shrugged, "Oh, I have my ways to preoccupy myself if that ever happens."

Goku did not pay much mind to it as he repeated the technique once more, concentrating it strongly on his right hand before letting his body do the rest of the work.

"Whew," Goku let out a sigh as the heat rays of the sun shone brightly above him, indicating that it was now noon.

Guessed he had been here for a few hours now.

"Good work out there. I am astounded how much progress you have achieved in such little hours," Heizou commented as he took a glance at the numerous holes that were now present all around the area.

"Still can't really use my feet too well with it, but I can work on that later."

This isn't even talking about techniques like trying to fly. Somehow, he found that one harder to replicate than Heizou's style of martial arts.

It might have to do with the fact that he had a blurry memory of it. So, he probably would need another look at his rival Tenshinhan using it again in order for him to mimic it perfectly.

It was fine, since he still very much preferred fighting on land, and was in no hurry to achieve the ability to fly. His priority right now was to strengthen his current technique. With this, he felt that he was one step closer to figuring out a counter to the Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi.

Not everything was in place yet, but he felt that this technique was a vital step in finding a solution.

"If what you demonstrated to me earlier was merely a simple training routine for you, then I have no doubt you'll overcome the challenge nonetheless."

Out of nowhere, Goku felt something unsettling crawling out from a particular direction. It wasn't as if he never felt this before, but the fact it had suddenly become so noticeable was worrisome to him.

If he would have to put it in words, it was like this chilling presence had finally been awakened from slumber, releasing its dreadful aura all the way from its location.

Beside him, Heizou merely raised a brow at his strange reaction as the tourist felt nothing different in his surroundings.

It meant that only he could sense what was going on, and as he gazed into said direction, he found that the aura led to Yashiori Island, the place where the Resistance was situated. He didn't know how, but every one of his senses were telling him that what just happened was something that should not have occurred at all.

"Is there something out of place Goku?" Heizou inquired, noticing his worried gaze.

"Oh, it's just that my gut is telling me something bad is happening right now on that island. If I leave it alone, then it's probably gonna get even worse."

While Goku held no obligation to help, he couldn't simply leave it alone, as it just wasn't in his nature.

"On Yashiori Island you say. Well, if it's instincts guiding you, then it's best you follow it, don't you believe so?"

Heizou was right. He really shouldn't be idling around any longer. The more time he wasted, the more things could escalate, even if he didn't know what exactly was causing it.

"Yeah, that's true. Thanks for all the help Heizou, but I gotta leave now. Hope you're still here when I get back, because there's still a few things I gotta ask you about that technique of yours."

"Oh, you are mistaken here Goku. I have every intention of following you along."

Goku scratched the back of his head, not exactly understanding the reasoning, "Not that I mind, but why?"

"Just like you, my intuition is telling me that I'll be able to find what I am seeking by coming along, even if there might be complications once we're at Yashiori Island."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm not quite sure how the members of the Resistance would react to my presence...or to my identity for that matter of fact."

Goku did not know why that was the case, but it probably had to do with that other profession Heizou talked about.

"It'll be fine Heizou, don't worry about it. If it doesn't, I'll be there to help you out," Goku said supportively.

There was a pause upon hearing those words, but it quickly disappeared as soon as Heizou gave him a grateful nod, "You've certainly assured me. Alright then, I suggest that the both of us take the boat I used to travel here. With a bit of luck, we'll be able to make it there in two days."

Goku was about to suggest just carrying Heizou to Yashiori Island, but ultimately refrained as he remembered the reaction of the first person he carried around in such a way.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get going then!" Goku said out loud in a jovial tone.

Just right after Goku two steps forward, he suddenly let out a yell as he remembered something important.

"Wait, I completely forgot about something! I can't leave without handling it first," he explained, turning to Heizou who was only looking on with amusement.

"It seems you have your matters to attend to. Will it take long for you to do so?" he asked calmly, completely unperturbed by the loudness of his voice.

Goku crossed both his arms as he thought about it, "Well, I'm just going to Kokomi's room so it probably won't be very long. I got some things to say, that's all."

He then noticed it again...the curiosity that Heizou's eyes were showing. He still really didn't get what the big deal was, it was just visiting a friend after all.

"In that case, I'll be stocking up on supplies while you're gone. Once you're finished, find me on the harbor, it's just south of Bourou Village."

Goku nodded in understanding as they began walking along together. It was only after they reached Bourou Village where they finally split up, heading towards their respective destinations.

Within the many rooms that occupy the space within the Sangonomiya Shrine, one particular room contained their Divine Priestess sleeping soundly on her bed, blissfully unreactive to the world around them.

Though there were usually many of the shrine maidens taking care of the currently unconscious priestess, today just so happened to be one of the busiest at the shrine. Thus, there was only one caretaker that would observe Kokomi's wellbeing during this period of time.

The moment the caretaker left however, was also the time when Son Goku sneaked himself into the room.

"Wow! So this is your room Kokomi? It doesn't look that different to the other ones, except maybe for the piles of books here."

Here he thought she kept most of it at her supposed secret hangout, but it turned out there was still a lot of literature works regardless.

Maybe they had more to do with her job as the Divine Priestess?

Goku erased those thoughts, as his purpose here wasn't to just snoop around her room, but to talk to her after all.

Even if she wasn't awake yet.

Goku sat down right beside Kokomi's sleeping form, who had not shown an inkling of waking up despite the noise he had made.

"Guess you're really still drowning down there huh? You sure know how to stay under water longer than I ever can."

There was no response. How could there be, if the recipient was unable to do so?

Still, he had a feeling that she would be fine, given enough time Kokomi would be up and about again, just like he was right now.

"Once you wake up, I'll be waiting for ya on that island we swam to before. Hopefully, whatever happened there will be over by the time you get there."

Silence, once again.

Goku continued on, unbothered by the quietness, "When we meet again, I got something I wanna talk to ya about. I already told Tsuyuko about it, but I don't think she really believes me all too much."

It was in regards to what he wanted to do from now on...but ever since he woke up, he already knew what he had to do to resolve all of this.

"That's all I gotta say. So, I'll be going ahead first then Kokomi."

With his piece said, Goku stood up once again, a determined face accompanying him.

Just as he was about to sneak himself out, he heard the noise of something dropping onto the floor.

As he turned around, he saw a basin was placed upside down on the door entrance, as well as spilled the contents of water along with it.

His eyes trailed upwards...only to notice that it was indeed one of the shrine maidens standing in the room with him, specifically it was Naki staring at him in disbelief.

Was he really that focused on Kokomi that he didn't notice his surroundings?

Guessed Mr. Popo was right in saying he still needed more training in that regard.

"You...you..." Naki said, struggling to form a coherent sentence upon seeing his presence in Kokomi's room.

Goku, unaware of the restrained anger that was directed towards him, merely greeted her amiably, "Heya! Don't worry about me, I was just about to leave so I'll be out of your way."

"Out! Now!"

Despite the sheer frustration and anger that was clearly emanating from her voice, Goku merely laughed heartily as he did what he was told. Before long, the room was occupied only by the still enraged Naki and Kokomi, who was unaffected by the outburst.

"Seriously, what exactly does Her Excellency see in him?" Naki remarked, facing the direction that Goku ran towards.

What went unnoticed by Naki however, was the slight movement that Kokomi exhibited behind her back, alongside the almost silent groan she let out as she turned to the side.

"Mmmh..."

"That certainly was quite an event you just went through," Heizou remarked as he placed another pack of supplies onto the boat.

"I don't get why she was so mad. It ain't like I broke anything..." Goku whined, standing right beside him.

Currently, the two were at the harbor of Watatsumi Island, one that was usually used by guests that came to visit the island.

The Sangonomiya samurai stationed here did give him a suspicious look when he arrived, although that immediately went away the moment Goku showed up and reconvened with him.

Intriguing. This meant Goku held much more respect on this island than Heizou initially thought.

"Looks like we have everything prepared. Shall we get going then?" Heizou asked, to which Goku answered with an all too willing nod.

Thus, the two proceeded to do just that. With nothing but a small boat to ride on, they were finally off the island and into the sea.

It did not take long for Goku to start getting other ideas right after half an hour of sailing...

"Won't it be too slow if we just go at it like this?" Goku asked, placing his left fist under his chin in boredom.

"What you refer to as slow is what everyone else experiences when traveling like this, barring larger ships of course."

He let out a cheeky smile, "Then all we have to do is make it faster right?"

Heizou easily understood what Goku was getting at. Instead of stopping the martial artist, he quickly prepared himself to prevent the boat from toppling over.

As always, his reasoning of deduction was correct.

This was proven by Goku turning around on his seat, twisting his right wrist in a quick manner as a short gust of wind swerved around them. He then let out a right jab into the air, causing the wind gathered to be dispersed and blasted off into a single direction.

This, in effect, propelled the boat forward, almost to the point that it almost skidded off the surface.

It also had the negative consequences of easily disrupting the balance of said boat, something that Heizou had already foreseen.

Foregoing the oar entirely, Heizou extended his arms to both sides, his Vision shining as small bursts of wind were released on each of them, which stabilized their balance.

"Thanks for the assist Heizou. I really didn't think of that happening at all," Goku said apologetically as he clasped both his hands together.

"It's no big deal. If you really want to keep trying this method, why not practice until you no longer need my assistance to maintain the balance of the boat?"

"Oh yeah, that's a great idea. This way, I get to train a whole lot too."

The two continued on like this, with Goku honing himself with this new technique while Heizou watched with a bit of levity as they headed towards Yashiori Island.

On a peculiar spot of Yashiori Island, there was a group of people dressed in the attire of Shogunate soldiers, gathered around on what seemed to be a stone lantern.

…or it was moments ago, for it had been broken into various pieces scattered around the area.

"With this, our journey to restore our great Omikami's dignity truly begins!" A man amongst them yelled out fiercely.

The others cheered almost fanatically, their eyes brimming with the prospect of upending their enemies believing that this will be the plan that truly overturned everything.

"However, this is just the beginning. Once we destroy the other wards holding the great Omikami's divine power, only then will we bear witness to his judgment on the Shogun's army and along with it, the end of this war!"

While they howled and celebrated on what was about to come, there was one member who was secretly smirking at the scene before him. Unlike the others, his aim for this little excursion was quite different compared to the rest.

And he would see to the plan's success, no matter what.

Chapter Text

Arataki Itto considered himself to be a patient man, even when many of his friends thought otherwise.

After all, if not for his great patience he would have never been able to form the Arataki Gang in the first place.

Still, he was already feeling stir-crazy from being cooped up in this dull room for the past two weeks.

What room was that?

Simple, it was one of the rooms that held prisoners in the Resistance camp, a place that clearly had not been maintained well considering it was probably used for prisoners instead of guests.

Just that fact that he was treated as some sort of criminal annoyed him to no end, since their supposed reasoning for locking him up was because of the stir he caused when he was carrying Goku to this location all those weeks ago.

Even after Kazuha had convinced the members of the Resistance that he was simply acting on behalf of his friend's safety, they still wanted some sort of punishment for his actions that could easily be misconstrued as some sort of attack.

Thus, here he was lying about in this empty room just staring at the ceiling.

The worst part was that there really wasn't anything for him to do, as most of the guards made for terrible conversationalists, with the only opportunity for any sort of interaction was when any of the soldiers brought food to him.

There was one exception among them, but he heard that guy wasn't here at the moment.

Anyway, the food here was terrible too. Seriously, how was prison food back on Narukami Island better than the stuff here?

He really was barely holding himself back as it is at this point, but as much as he wanted to, he wouldn't cause more issues with his own hands.

One of the few reasons why he hadn't simply escaped out of this place was due to Kazuha convincing him that everything with Goku was alright, and that sooner or later he will be allowed freedom again.

Just the news that his friend's condition was stable was enough to placate him for a while, but having waited for so long with no further news of any kind, he was understandably at his breaking point.

All he could hear in this room were the hushed whispers of the soldiers talking about the civil war occurring in Inazuma, but they were never at a level that was discernible to him so it was irrelevant to him.

In short, he was in the dark on everything.

Just as he continued to think about random things to occupy the time, he suddenly heard some sort of commotion behind one of the walls of the room.

What with the eerie quietness that he had been accustomed to, the loud noises from the outside immediately caught his attention as he placed his right ear onto the wall, listening in to what was going on.

He couldn't quite make out the voices, but it seemed to be the Resistance soldiers yelling about something...maybe to the Shogun's Army?

Bah, what was he overcomplicating this for?

Since he really wanted to know, there's only one right action in a scenario like this.

Itto stood up from the floor as he prepared his whole body for his next action, one that he should have a while ago.

It totally wasn't because he had enough of sitting around, obviously.

"Raise your hands, and don't move a single muscle!" a man shouted out loud as he pointed his spear towards a pair of individuals who obviously differ from the rest of the members of Resistance.

One was wearing the uniform that belonged to the Shogunate, albeit a modified one while the other was wearing civilian clothing that was usually seen on Watatsumi Island.

At present, many of the members of the Watatsumi Army were gathered together at the entrance to their camp at Fort Fujitou, with most of them wary of the sudden arrival of these newcomers.

This was especially the case for one of them specifically, as he wore the attire of their enemy they had been facing since the beginning of the civil war.

Instead of following the stern order, the one in the loose clothing remained at ease as he spoke casually to his companion, "I feel like this happened to me before. Do you have any idea why Heizou?"

"That would be an answer that only you would know, Goku. However, I believe this predicament we are in is most possibly due to my presence here."

Goku scratched the back of his head, "Oh yeah...you did mention that before but you ain't anyone bad, so why are they so mad at you? "

"I thank you for the compliment, but my current attire doesn't leave much room for subtlety on what my alignments are."

Angered by their inattention, the soldiers yelled once more, this time at an even higher volume as he directed it towards Heizou, "Shut it, you Shogunate scum! What do you plan to do infiltrating the base of our army?"

The surprise was evident on Goku upon hearing this new information, "Eh, you work for Raiden Heizou?"

"The answer would be yes, but it's not the whole picture either," Heizou stated briefly, not willing to divulge more information to the group in front of them.

"Then how come your outfit is different from those guys I saw back when I was fighting Raiden?"

Instead of addressing the soldiers who were clearly getting more irritated as the seconds passed, Heizou felt more compelled to respond to Goku, "Well you see, I am but a Doushin, which is why a low rank officer such as myself is allowed a bit of leeway in modifying my uniform."

After his explanation, Heizou gave Goku a side glance as he continued on, "So, now that you know, what will you do now? If you tell them that you brought me here without foreknowledge, then I'm positive they would at the very least leave you out of their animosity."

Goku blinked in confusion at the suggestion, "Why would I do that? You're my friend Heizou, so of course I can't leave you just like that. Plus, I already said I wouldn't let it happen, right?"

"You did, didn't you...very well, now what do you suppose we do to get out of this situation?"

"Don't ignore us!" another member yelled out in indignation at how casual the two were treating the situation.

The two stared at the soldier blankly, until Heizou decided that it was time to face them directly.

"Apologies, I was prioritizing you over my friend here as he had some inquiries on my identity. I hope you can forgive our rudeness in spite of what just transpired."

Some were put off by the polite response, while some of the members refused to see it as anything but a trap to lower their guard.

Another stepped forward as well, before pointing towards Goku warily, "And you! I recognize you, you're the guy that Her Excellency healed. If you're here...then where is she?"

Goku crossed both his arms as he thought up a response, "Kokomi? She's still asleep, and I don't really know when she'll wake up either. The more I think about it, she sure is taking longer than I thought. I mean, drowning doesn't take that long right?"

In the eyes of the Resistance members, this was not only the wrong answer, but one that brought implications that made their impression of Goku even worse.

"You scum!"

It began with a yell from one the soldiers, until it was followed up with similar roars of outcry alongside them.

"Bastard!"

"How dare you!"

"We should tie him up!"

Amidst the outcries of anger, there was one voice that went against the current wave of accusations.

"Hey now, how about we calm down a bit? I'm sure there's a misunderstanding of sorts. After all, it would make no sense for Her Excellency to save him only for him to turn against her, right?"

A man scoffed at the reasoning, "Yeah right, as if betraying her trust wasn't enough. He brought a Shogunate spy along, probably for something insidious. How do you expect us to react, by parading him as an ally to our cause!?"

Heizou chose not to respond, because he knew whatever answer he provided would receive negative reception regardless. Thus, he could only turn to Goku in de-escalating the situation.

"Nah. Heizou just came along cause I wanted to check something out. He's got no reason to be involved in your fight."

Or perhaps the opposite would occur instead.

And just as he foresaw, the fierceness in their voice could be noticed immediately upon the sea of intense shouting, to the point it drowned it was overwhelming. Despite the intensity of the noise, one walked out of the crowd as he stood from the rest. Rather than anger adorning his features, it was one full of disdain.

Indeed, it was directed towards Heizou.

"Enough of this farce. Look, even if he claims to be a lowly Doushin. I say we capture him, since he still has valuable information on the Shogunate's Army."

A clear sentiment was shared as grunts of agreement echoed throughout the group. Then, another member had a suggestion in mind.

"But Tadakatsu, why don't we just finish him off now? I bet those at the Shogun's Army won't predict that their spy failed."

Spy was it?

It seems that this was the narrative that was running through their heads. While it was certainly a possibility given Heizou's rank and position, their line of reasoning was flawed as far as Heizou could tell.

Then again, anger does tend to muddle a person's more rational thoughts. Still, the one called Tadakatsu stood out to him, because it was clear that anger was not the only emotion fueling his decision.

"No, we can't. We have to determine his objective for coming here, lest we fall into a trap of the Shogun's Army. It's only after that can we pry as much information out of him."

As the other members of the Resistance began encircling them, Heizou kept a guarded expression, though inwardly he was more than ready to spring into action.

Meanwhile, Goku gave an easygoing look towards the group, "Sorry, but I won't let that happen. After all, Heizou hasn't done anything wrong either."

It was a casual remark, but the strength and confidence in Goku's voice caused some of the men to stop for just a moment. They did not know what compelled them to do so, but it was enough for them to hesitate and almost think back on their actions.

Of course, it immediately turned into anger as they moved forward, clearly intent on going through with their words.

Just as the tension was about to hit the high point, the scene was disrupted as the wall of one of the buildings fell apart, causing shards of wood to fly off as a new individual came into the scene.

It grabbed all of their attention, including Goku looking befuddled while Heizou stared in curiosity at this new development.

"Hah! I knew something like that could never hold me down," one Arataki Itto remarked to himself as he dusted off the dirt caused by the collapse of the wall.

His eyes then turned from the ground to his surroundings, and upon doing so, was immediately greeted by the sight of baffled Resistance members staring at him with mixed emotions.

It wasn't anything new to Itto, but what was new were the two individuals that were on the opposing side to the Resistance.

Itto's face lit up upon seeing a familiar, "Wow, Goku...buddy! You're finally up! Guess that lady Sangono-nina was able to heal you right back up huh?"

Not even hesitating nor caring for the situation at hand, Itto walked towards with the friendliest of smiles.

"Itto? What are you doing here?" Goku asked, pointing towards him in turn.

In hindsight, he did sensed a familiar presence, but that could be said for many of the Resistance members here. Their ki, if he had to put it, was missing something important to be considered whole.

Now that he gave it a second thought...was it just him or was his ability to sense ki a bit different compared to before?

Goku did not have time to dwell on it as Itto continued on with the conversation.

"Heh, who do you think brought you all the way from Narukami Island to here?" Itto said proudly as he rubbed the bottom of his nose.

That was certainly news to the martial artist. He supposed Kokomi was right, in that there was a lot more going on than he realized after getting beaten by the Raiden Shogun.

"That right? Guess I'll have to thank ya for taking me here then, cause I would probably be dead if you didn't," Goku said, a happy smile accompanying his words.

"Heh, what do you expect? You might be a new member, but you're still a member of the Arataki Gang, so etch that into your skull Goku!" Itto said boisterously.

Silence reigned in between the two as they merely stared at one another, until the two began to laugh.

At first, it was a small laugh that was shared between Goku and Itto, but it soon turned into a full blown laughing session that stretched on to what felt like hours instead of seconds.

One would think the members of the Resistance would have interrupted them already, but this did not occur as they were simply baffled by their non-caring attitude towards their presence, to the point that they were in sheer disbelief.

For the one who had been observing from the side, Heizou what was currently transpiring to be…memorable if he had to put it.

How was that the case?

It was because with only a greeting between two individuals, the tension that had been rising was abruptly halted just like that. It was not an exaggeration for Heizou to say that what was happening could be considered as a talent in itself, though he very much doubted that the two of them were aware of it.

"Anyway, who's the guy beside you?" Itto questioned, having just noticed Heizou's presence.

Heizou put on his usual smile, "Greetings, the name's Shikanoin Heizou. I am but your everyday Doushin simply out on vacation."

"You're from the Tenryou Commision!? Wait, now that I think about it...I think I've seen you there somewhere before," Itto remarked, recalling all the times he was held up at the police station.

"And you would be right. I've seen you a number of times, Arataki Itto and I have to say, it sure is a coincidence that our first formal meeting would be on Yashiori Island of all places."

"Sure...that's fine and all, as long as you aren't like those mucks at Tenryou Commission that arrested me just cause I won a prize from a kid fair and square!" Itto said as he ranted off at the last part.

Heizou merely let out a knowing smile, but it was clear as day to Itto that Heizou was not convinced by his reasoning.

Seeking to change the subject, Itto asked the first thing that had originally wanted to ask about, "Anyway, with all the noise just now I came out to see what all the commotion was about. So, I'll have a guess that you guys have something to do with it?"

Goku struggled to find a way to explain the situation, seeing as he himself was not quite aware of what was going on. Fortunately for the martial artist, Heizou took the reins in regards to the explanation.

"Correct. As you know, I am a Doushin working for the Tenryou Commission. Coupled with the ongoing civil war in Inazuma, it is quite reasonable for them to be a little...loud."

Itto blinked profusely as he absorbed the new information, until he gave an exasperated sigh before turning towards the opposing side, "Seriously? First you lock me up just cause I was rushing to save my friend here, and now you want to take these two in because they look suspicious? Man, you guys are terrible at first impression, I can forgive the first thing, even if it was really annoying but this one is just plain stupid. You know what I think? I think you guys need examples for making amazing introductions, like the great Arataki Gang for one."

Goku, on the other hand, had a look of realization upon Heizou's explanation, "Is that what they are trying to do? Huh, well...sorry, but I ain't got time for something pointless like that."

The flames of indignation that had simmered down momentarily flared back up once more at the two individuals' comment.

"And what gives you the right to decide that? This scum here is the cause for many of our comrades' demise. So, what we're already planning to do is enough of a mercy for someone like him."

Up until this point, Heizou could understand why the Resistance members had felt this way, but even he had underestimated the amount of hate that had fostered within their ranks in just half a year.

Upon putting it more thought, it made sense given how he had never been in the frontlines in the ongoing civil war.

It was truly telling, that this war that had been transpiring until now would only continue to be worse if it lingered. Yet, the Shogun had no signs of intervening personally and solving the issue herself.

Was it truly right for him to remain a passive observer after seeing such animosity firsthand?

But then, Goku spoke up as he defended Heizou, "But it wasn't Heizou who did it, so you guys are blaming the wrong person."

In one sentence, Goku was able to divert their attention from Heizou to him. This was not because what he said was unusual, rather in how he said it. By no means were his words inspiring, in fact, most would call it ignorant and naive.

After all, was the Shogunate not the Resistance's mortal enemy?

How could he be so trusting of someone associated with them?

Rather, was he insane for doing so with such confidence?

In spite of those thoughts among the Resistance members, there was one thing they could not deny.

And that was the absolution in Goku's words, in a way that no one can simply brush him off.

They themselves could not understand why, and no matter how much they thought of it, they did not come any closer to finding the reasoning for it.

However, there were a few who were able to go against it.

"So what makes you so sure he hasn't done anything of that sort? Sure, he claims himself to just be a Doushin, but his presence here speaks volume of his intention, whether or not in the past or present."

"Of course I have no idea, but I trust Heizou. Hey, Heizou, you haven't done anything like what they said right?" Goku said, whispering at the last part as he directed that question towards him.

Heizou shook his head, denying the claim before speaking once more, "No. I have never personally found myself in the battlefield as far as I can recall. After all, I only handle general affairs and police work, which has not changed even with this war between the Shogunate and the Resistance."

Upon listening to Heizou's comment, Goku stared back at them with a confident smirk, "See? Now you don't have any reason to bring him in."

Every one of the Resistance were rendered speechless, unable to even form a proper response for the absurdity that was in front of them.

Though many knew not what to say, it was Tadakatsu who stepped forward in an attempt to take back control of the conversation at hand.

"This means not—"

Before he could even present a rebuttal, Itto cut him off by placing himself in front of Goku and Heizou, only to then point his thumb towards them.

"I'm with these two all the way. I don't know much about this Heizou guy but I already like him a whole lot more than you guys who...oh I don't know, lock me up just because I was trying to save a friend."

By the expression that Itto was holding, Heizou had a sneaking suspicion that there was a hint of pettiness in his assessment, but it did not seem like it came from a place of malice, just annoyance.

Now, what to make of the current situation?

Heizou observed his surroundings, noticing that despite the still high tension that lingered in the air, yet just like before, there was a noticeable shift in the atmosphere. Despite that however, the situation still required quite a bit of finesse if they were to come out of it without any sort of physical conflict.

Of course, with their current situation, it was no doubt going to be a difficult task. Then again, he could think of another way, an easy one at that, but one that was out of their control and that was...

"Everyone, stand down!" a young voice commanded out of nowhere.

It startled all of them at this new arrival, except for Goku who looked as if he expected this to happen.

There stood Gorou, the general of the Resistance, his serious expression shown as his eyes scanned the area, observing every little detail he could infer while speculating on what had taken place while he was gone from camp.

The general was not by himself either, as to his right was an individual that had come along with him, one who at first glance would not be believed to be on the same side as the Resistance.

Kaedahara Kazuha wore a calm yet cool expression, his eyes strangely closed as he stood beside Gorou, which was a complete contrast to the other.

After finishing his quick observation, Gorou decided to address Tadakatsu seeing as he was at the front of the group, "Tadakatsu, mind informing me on what is going on? I don't quite understand how things escalated to such a degree, but I would like an...explanation on what this is about, specifically on those two."

There was a wary tone in Gorou's voice, something that Heizou noted with ease. It was expected, considering he was a Doushin, someone who worked for the Tenryou Commission standing at a Resistance camp.

Tadakatsu was not the one who answered, as someone familiar quickly beat him to the punch.

"Hey, it's you...Gorou right? You were the only decent guy I could talk to when I was in that dumb room. Anyway, you mind telling these guys to back off?" Itto requested, his voice at the lowest it had ever been.

"You're...Itto if I remember correctly, and why exactly should I do that?" Gorou questioned, though his tone was respectful, unlike the other members of the Resistance.

"That's easy. These guys were just being jerks to my friends over here, so I was just about to tell them off and teach them a lesson if they were gonna get rough, but since you're here, I figured I can spare them a beating if you're the one telling them off," Itto stated in an almost dismissive manner.

"Is that true?" Gorou asked pointedly, clearly trying to get the whole picture from both sides.

"It's not. General Gorou, we were going to simply tie up the Shogunate spy and interrogate him for information, which was all what we're going to do, so we are not being 'jerks' as he puts it," Tadakatsu explained, having finally been given the opportunity to speak.

At the man's explanation, Itto felt the need to argue back, "No way! Didn't you hear him just now, Heizou already said he wasn't a stupid spy or whatever, so at least set the story straight."

"And I say he's deliberately lying. What are the chances that a person who works for the Shogunate would simply walk up to our base in such an open manner? What, are you telling me he simply came here just for no reason?"

There was a low growl that escaped from Itto, while many of the members of the Resistance behind Tadakatsu were glaring at him for his accusations.

"Enough. I see that any further dialogue between you two would be pointless, so I'll make the final decision on the matter once I finish hearing what you all have to say," Gorou said with a neutral tone, trying his best to appear fair to both parties.

If it were anyone else, the Resistance members would not have heeded this request, but since it came from their general there was only one logical response, "Very well general Gorou, but may we talk only amongst comrades? I do not look forward to being interrupted again when I explain our actions to you."

Gorou nodded, before turning to their general direction, "Alright then. As for you three, I'll hear your side after I'm done with theirs. Please stay put until then."

With that, a few members of the Resistance followed along Gorou as they moved to a location a bit further away from prying eyes.

Just as the general had left, the remaining Resistance members were staring at them with mixed emotions, some were still glaring while a few didn't exactly know how to approach them.

Of course, the three ignored the stares entirely as they were thinking about other matters.

"We at least avoided the worst result, though I'm unsure how long it would last," Heizou stated, now that the situation has calmed down considerably.

Neither Goku nor Itto knew what to make of the circumstance, seeing as they didn't comprehend the severity of what could have occurred.

Fortunately, there was someone who did understand what he implied.

"Rest assured, knowing Gorou I'm sure everything will turn out just fine," Kazuha chimed in as he joined their conversation.

At his appearance, Itto had quite a few things to say, "Oi Kazuha, it took you long enough to finally come and see me. Where were you when I was stuck in that stupid room?"

"My apologies. While I've tried my best to ensure that you were allowed freedom, it seemed they were much more wary of you than I first anticipated. As for my whereabouts, let's just say I've been preoccupied with helping out here and that only now is my first return to camp."

"Seriously?" Itto shook his head around once he came to a realization, "Wait a minute, that makes no sense. I saw Gorou a couple of times, and you were with him just now. How do you explain that then?"

Kazuha was not startled by the question, merely further his explanation in a calm manner, "It just so happened that Gorou and I had a similar task in a battle earlier, which was why we were together. What we weren't expecting was to see such a commotion upon returning to Fort Fujitou. Speaking of, how do you feel Son Goku?"

"Eh, you know me?" Goku asked, pointing towards himself.

"Well, of course. After all, I was one of the many that was involved in the efforts of helping you recover from the aftermath of the Musou no Hitotachi."

"Oh, so you help me too huh? Thanks for that then...Ka-zzuha?" Goku replied back, trying his best to recall how Itto addressed the drifter.

"Kaedahara Kazuha. As for your gratitude, there's no need. My contributions were minimal all things considered. If anything, you would want to express your gratitude to Captain Beidou for taking you to Her Excellency."

Itto scratched the top of his head upon hearing the name, "Oh yeah…that lady. Where is she anyway?"

"The captain had other matters to attend to at the moment, so it'll be quite a while before her return. Knowing her however, she'll return at the most unexpected of moments when one least expects it."

There was a level of fondness in Kazuha's words, one that hinted at the closeness between him and the individual he was referring to.

Goku however, only wanted to confirm one thing, "Guess I'll have to thank her too when I meet her, but you still helped me out didn't you?"

Kazuha nodded, of which Goku grinned in return, "Then that's good enough for me."

A gradual smile began to form on Kazuha, "You're certainly turning out to be more than I was expecting, Goku."

"The same could be said for you. It isn't everyday one gets to greet the last heir of the Kaedahara clan all the way out here," Heizou added as he joined in the conversation.

Kazuha paused for a moment, though one would not be able to notice it as it was barely visible. It was however, something Heizou was able to perceive due to the nature of his occupation.

"Forgive my manners, I seem to have forgotten them in my excitement. If it's not too improper, may I ask for your name?"

"Shikanoin Heizou, a Doushin for the Tenryou Commission. I've seen your name pop up from time to time, considering your status as a fugitive."

"I see. It's nice to meet you then Heizou," Kazuha greeted sincerely.

This certainly caught Heizou's attention, "Oh? Are you not wary that I would apprehend you?"

Kazuha simply closed his eyes as he explained, "I don't believe you will. From the tone of your voice to the steady rhythm of your breathing, I can sense no ill intention from you."

"Good observation skills. I can feel that we'll get along quite well, Kazuha."

Itto then stood between the two, "All right all right, enough with the introductions. We know you, and you know us and all that, but how long are we supposed to stand here? I already had enough waiting around in that dumb room. Any more and I swear I am going to become insane."

"I will take note of that if we ever have guests around in the foreseeable future," Gorou said as he walked towards them.

"I see you're finished with your discussion."

With the way Kazuha uttered those words, it seemed less like an assumption and more of a statement.

Gorou nodded, "It was less of a discussion, and more of just me listening to their side of the argument. Now that I'm done with that, I'm here to hear the other side out."

Heizou was the one who stepped up between him and Goku, "I suppose the best way to clear those assumptions is to state our intention here, don't you think so?"

"Yes, as I would very much like to know why a Doushin of the Tenryou Commission is standing here in our camp so brazenly," Gorou said, cutting to the chase.

"It's Heizou. As I was about to say...hmm, instead of me why don't you take the reins here Goku?"

"Huh, but you can explain it better Heizou," Goku remarked.

An explanation was already prepared as he continued on, "Well, you were the one who wanted to come here. The way I see it, it's only fair that you are the one given the chance to explain our purpose here."

"Alright...if you say so. As for why we're here...it's cause I had a pretty bad feeling about this place after I woke up."

"Woke up? I presume you were at Watatsumi Island at the time, yes?" Goku nodded in affirmation, "Then how is Her Excellency? With what I heard from the others, they said you were implying that you drowned her."

"But she is drowning. Plus, she's the one who made both of us do that. I was just a bit faster to wake up, that's all," Goku exclaimed as he put both his hands up.

Without any sort of context, none of them understood what he was talking about. Fortunately for the martial artist, Heizou was the one who picked up his lacking explanation by prodding him to divulge more information.

"I would suggest you re-amend that statement in some way Goku, perhaps sinking is the word you're looking for?"

Truthfully, Heizou could not make heads or tails of his statement either, but it was better for all of them if Goku elaborated on it more.

"Ehh, but it ain't like I'm wrong. Ah well, I guess I could say she's still sleeping, but she looked fine the last time I saw her."

"If true, then it's certainly a relief. Now, as for this bad feeling of yours…is it dangerous?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it will if it's left alone. I don't know how to explain it but it feels like something big that's about to burst out...it hasn't exploded or anything but I can tell the longer it lasts, the more this bad feeling of mine gets worse."

The others sans Heizou were silent, taking in the information piece by piece. Gorou especially was finding it hard to believe. As someone who had been on this island since the start of the civil war, he could not see this danger that he was speaking of.

Even so, Gorou would still inquire in regards to it, "You based this on just your intuition alone?"

"If you really want me to get into it, I guess it does have to do with how I sense energy. Then again, ever since I arrived here it's been pretty unreliable so maybe it's not related at all."

"If I may ask, how do you sense energy Goku?" Kazuha asked, curious seeing that Goku holds no Vision that allows him to sense elemental energy.

"Life. You kinda have to be alive in order for me to sense your energy," Goku said bluntly.

"Does that mean whatever is happening is because of an individual then?" Kazuha inquired.

"Nah, it doesn't have to be a person. It can be anything really, as long as they're alive, like animals, plants or those weird monsters."

Truth be told, Goku did feel like the way he sensed ki has changed a bit lately, eventhough he felt like he was slowly getting the hang of it ever since he woke up.

While Kazuha contemplated his words in interest, Gorou wanted the conversation to get back on track, "So you simply wish to stop whatever this potential problem is?"

"Yeah, basically. It doesn't feel right if I don't do anything about it, ya know?"

It was time Gorou got into the crux of the issue, "Then why come here then? I'm sure you could have gone to the location you're looking for without coming to our camp."

"That's cause the feeling I'm getting is pretty close to here. Plus, I also wanted to see this place again," Goku stated as he looked over the area.

What he said certainly made Gorou pause for a moment, before uttering just one word.

"Again?"

Goku nodded, "Kokomi did bring me here before, but I didn't really take the time to look around last time."

Now was the perfect time for Heizou to add into the conversation, "That, and he argued that it was better for us to introduce ourselves so that there would be no misunderstandings of sorts once we begin our investigation."

"But Goku didn't even know you worked for the Tenryou Commission before, correct?" Gorou posed the question, as he had already heard the gist of the situation from the other resistance members earlier.

It was quite clear that Goku did not possess that knowledge earlier, considering how surprised he was according to his comrades' explanation.

"He did not, but I have informed him before that my presence here would be troublesome, as was obviously shown just now. While my assumption was correct, his was as well seeing as nothing has come to blow just yet."

"You were the one who thought of that, Goku?" Itto couldn't help but ask.

"Hehe, yup. I figured I might as well make sure Heizou know that he has nothing to worry about while we're here. Why?"

"Hah, it's nothing. All I can say is that you did well, which is what I expect from a member of my gang!" Itto proclaimed loudly, proud of what Goku had done.

Goku didn't understand what the big deal was as he shrugged off the compliment, while the others were evaluating each and every one of his words.

It wasn't the most sufficient answer, but Gorou did not judge by just mere words, but also by their intention and nature.

So far, it was enough for him to at least give them the benefit of the doubt. However…

"Let's say that after you're finished with this investigation. What do you plan to do after this?"

This was a personal question, one that Gorou had been wanting to ask ever since he saw Son Goku from afar.

He wanted to know just what kind of person Her Excellency saw, so much so that she had personally saved Goku in spite of the risks.

"Easy, I want to face Raiden again."

Their eyes all visibly widened at the bold proclamation, because they would have never imagined that Goku would willingly do such a thing given what he had experienced.

Even Itto knew what the consequences of doing so meant, especially after seeing first hand how injured Goku was after the battle.

"You...wish to fight the Shogun once more, despite the outcome of the previous battle."

"Mmhmm, but I don't just want to fight her, you know? I wanna talk to her more, because I get the feeling that I haven't heard everything from her yet about this whole thing. It kinda bothers me if I don't ask about it."

"Goku buddy, usually I don't really mind telling you to just do it again, but after seeing what happened last time..."

He couldn't finish the sentence. As much as Itto fooled around, even he knew that what his friend was planning on was just plain dangerous.

"I lost, but that's why I wanna face her again even more. There's no point in me thinking about what would happen if I lost again, because I know next time it won't happen like before," Goku said confidently, presenting his right knuckle to them as he clenched it tightly.

The sheer confidence Goku exuded completely astounded all of them. It was as if what occurred in that battle between him and the Shogun did not bother him in the slightest.

One would think it was borderline arrogance, but for those that did know Goku personally would think otherwise.

Unfortunately, this was not his world, and two that were beside him only knew him for a short time, while the other two were only just properly introduced to him.

Even so, they did not disregard his words entirely, merely not fully understanding his goal with such absurdity.

For one Son Goku, he did not care in the slightest, as his mind had already been made up ever since he had awakened from that inner world of his.

Yeah...there was something he had to do when he faced Raiden again, something he didn't feel the need to elaborate on.

Facing them again, Kazuha was the one who had recovered first among all of them, his calm look returning as he spoke, "It would seem that I would have to re-evaluate you once more Goku. That said, I look forward to getting to know you better since our goals align."

Goku let out a small grin at the comment, before feeling the touch of an arm around his neck.

Itto was the next one to speak, "You're way ballsier than I thought Goku. I can't say I want you to do whatever it is you're going to do, but I'll help you out if you need it. After all, I wouldn't be a good leader if I didn't, right?"

Before Goku could respond, Heizou chimed in as well, "I don't have much to add. Even after my speculations I was still blown away by those bold words of yours. Unlike Itto, I can't say I support it given my position, but what I will say is this...I am genuinely curious to see what beholds if you meet the Shogun again."

There was a certain shine in Heizou's eyes that Goku could not understand, but he was not able to dwell on it for long as the last person spoke up.

"I will be frank. I don't trust you, and from whatever testimonies I have gathered from the others do not paint you in a good light either. However, there is one thing that is preventing me from fully treating you as an enemy, and that is Her Excellency's trust in you. I do not know why she does, but I know she would never do so without reason. That's why the Resistance will allow you freedom to conduct your investigation without any worries," Gorou stated firmly.

"Oh? Does this apply to me as well?" Heizou asked pointedly, his left eyebrow raised.

Gorou crossed both his arms around his chest as he replied, "Yes. While I'm not comfortable with the idea of a Doushin being in close proximity with our base, you have been pretty amiable despite our less than subtle treatment. However, I will have someone to watch over you throughout the investigation. This way, I would have less issues to worry about if something goes south."

Heizou did not respond verbally, but the look he gave was more than enough indication of his agreement.

"About that…would you mind giving me the chance to accompany them, Gorou?" Kazuha asked.

Gorou's ears straighten a bit upon hearing the question, "You want to Kazuha? I certainly would feel better if you were the one to do so but to have just you following them is a bit..."

While the last part went unsaid, Kazuha understood what Gorou meant. As such, Kazuha reassured him the best way he knew how.

"Have a little faith, not just in me but in their characters. So far, they haven't shown any sort of ill intentions."

There was a slight pause on Gorou's part, before a tired sigh escaped his breath, "Alright, if you're so sure then I see no reason to stop you. It does seem like you've made up your mind on something,"

"And I thank you for that, my friend," Kazuha said gratefully as he placed his right on his chest.

Just as they finally finished their conversation, a loud yell could be heard from afar.

As they turned to the cause of the noise, they saw a lone member running up to them with a frantic look.

Before long, the soldier now stood before them, his breathing ragged as sweat poured out of his forehead due to the amount of running he had done.

Despite the soldier's display of fatigue, he continued on as he called out for one person in particular, "General Gorou!"

"What seems to be the matter?" Gorou asked calmly, though the stern expression he put on said otherwise.

"It's the Shogun's Army! We just heard from our scouts that there are groups of them situated at Nazuchi Beach, yet they haven't done anything of note for the past few hours."

"That's certainly odd, but we all have directives for such a situation in case it's some sort of attack. I'm confident that the squads placed there would be able to handle it," Gorou said, reasoning his thoughts.

"Yes, that was why we didn't inform you immediately, but we've just received a message saying that Kujou Sara arrived at the scene mere moments ago. We fear that with her involvement, the tide of the battle could instantly turn into their favour if a battle ensues."

At the mention of the name, Gorou quickly thought of a plan before replying, "So it's her again huh? Very well, report back to the messenger and inform the squads to hold on until my arrival. I will be joining them as soon as possible."

With that, the messenger left in a hurry, though obviously at a much slower pace despite the small reprieve he received from running just now.

Goku didn't know what to make of the news, seeing as he had never even heard of the name, while Kazuha wore a somewhat sorrowful look, his eyes looking far into a distance that nobody knew about.

Meanwhile, Heizou remained quiet as he was now in a deep thought, which was the same as Gorou who was thinking up the necessary preparations for what was about to occur once he arrived at Nazuchi Beach.

"When that guy said Kujou Sara, was he talking about that tengu?"

The sudden interest that Itto displayed certainly held their attention, as it came out of nowhere.

All except for Heizou, who suddenly remembered that he had a vague impression that the individual in question, Kujou Sara had mentioned a bullheaded oni giving her a headache from time to time.

Interesting development atop of one another this was turning out to be.

"That would be her, yes," Gorou confirmed.

There was an almost immediate change in Itto's mood as he suddenly walked up towards Gorou, with only one thing in mind.

"Bring me along with you."

Every one of them could feel Itto's determination in those words. It was soon broken as Itto turned around towards Goku, giving him an apologetic look having recalled what he just promised to his friend..

"Oh yeah, I know I said I had your back but you mind letting me have this one? I promise I'll help ya meet the Shogun again after I'm done with my own thing," Itto said awkwardly as he tried to explain it without coming off as dismissing his friend.

While Itto was facing difficulty in expressing his desire, Goku on the other hand was nonplussed at the intention as he waved it off.

"It's fine it's fine. You have ta do it since it's important to you, right?"

It was a feeling Goku could very much relate to considering his own circumstances, so he did not begrudge Itto for prioritizing his own matter first.

It would be hypocritical if he did so, after all.

Itto's expression lightened as he gave Goku an appreciative thumbs up, "And that's why you're a member of the Arataki Gang!"

"Who said I would allow it in the first place?" Gorou interjected, breaking up the cheerful exchange.

It was as if a cold shower had washed over Itto. The oni recovered quickly however, brushing it off as he directed his gaze towards Gorou, ready to plead his case.

"Oh come on, Gorou. Lemme join you, or I'll just head down there by myself if I have to."

It was short and straight to the point, while informing the general that he would go regardless of anyone trying to stop him.

Gorou did not yield, "And what exactly is your relation with a general of the Shogun's Army?"

There was a loud snort coming from Itto, "Hah, there ain't enough time in the world for me to complain about that damn tengu but if you really wanna listen, why don't we do that after we head out? You don't wanna waste time and all that, right?"

Gorou conceded that he had a point, and having interacted with Itto for the past weeks he had already judged the oni to be a good person, albeit one who was rough around the edges.

"Alright then, we'll be heading out in a few minutes, but prepare yourself Itto...a battlefield is never a location to tread lightly on," Gorou warned.

"You don't have to worry about me, I can handle myself just fine," Itto proclaimed confidently.

Seeing as they were done with their conversation, Heizou spoke up, "Then I believe that this would be the exact time we take our leave as well."

"Right. Please inform me if it turns out that there will be anything that affects our operations. I know that we're on opposing sides, but I would like to believe in your words that you'll only focus on solving this potential danger that is hidden away on this island, and nothing else."

"You sure are expecting alot from me, but I have to remind you that despite the circumstances, I am in no way allying myself with the Resistance. All I'm doing is helping a friend, and whatever the results are, the decision will be on him. After all, I am merely assisting, nothing more and nothing less," Heizou explained concisely, smiling ever so amiably as usual.

Gorou said nothing more as he directed his gaze towards Kazuha, nodding one last time before leaving to prepare for the upcoming battle.

With Gorou now gone, Itto spoke to Goku once more, "Okay, so as members of the Arataki Gang, you and I are both going to finish what we want to do, got it Goku?"

"Ooh, but I'm not sure what I'm trying to finish though?" Goku asked innocently.

Itto shrugged, "Ah, those are just small details. For men like us, we can overcome anything! Anyway, I think it's time I teach you the Arataki Gang's hand sign for wishing someone good luck."

"I don't remember you guys doing anything like that before?" Goku questioned, having no recollection of such a thing.

"That's because I made it up just now, so I want to test it out before I teach the others later. Just follow what I do and it'll be fine."

While Goku followed along with what Itto was going, albeit confusedly, Kazuha and Heizou were staring at one another in complete silence.

"It seems we'll be working together for quite a bit," Kazuha said, breaking the silence.

"It does look that way doesn't it? Hmm, I can't say I'm opposed to it. With someone like you around, it would make the investigation go much easier," Heizou remarked.

"And I have no doubt that a person of your ability would make this matter a simple breeze in the wind," Kazuha complimented in return.

"We'll just have to see about that, won't we?"

"I suppose so."

Nothing more was said between the two of them, as they settled into watching Goku currently giving Itto a weird look while being shown the supposed gesture Itto thought up.

"When you mention the location being close to the camp, I did not imagine it to be this close," Heizou commented upon seeing the supposed site that Goku had determined the location of.

By no means would the distance be considered short, but it was most certainly within walking distance from the Resistance camp at Fort Fujitou.

Currently, they were standing at the top of a cliff, but the one thing that stood out was a stone pillar that very much resembled that of a lantern.

"Is it that weird?"

Kazuha was the one who spoke up, "It's less weird, rather the strangeness should be placed on the fact that no one has noticed anything unusual since the location is near to camp. From what I could recall, it doesn't seem like Gorou knows of anything out of place in this area either."

Heizou gave the scene in question a quick one-over, "At first glance, it seems to be a stone lantern of some sort, but judging from the lack of light source it would seem that it's missing some components for it to function."

"You three, wait up!"

They turned to see who the voice belonged to, only for it to turn out to be an individual that none of them recognized.

In fact, the only thing that was identifiable was the attire, which bore the distinct uniform that was associated with the Resistance, indicating that he clearly came from the camp a few distances off.

"What seems to be the matter?" Kazuha inquired, since he was the closest to the young man among the three of them.

"It isn't anything serious. I just wanted to catch up with you guys, that's all," he said, doing his best to be reassuring.

It certainly wasn't, but Kazuha continued on regardless, "And why would you want to do that?"

"Well, General Gorou asked me to accompany you all in your investigation, or more accurately, I was the one who requested General Gorou to follow along. He agreed, so here I am."

Heizou was the next to speak, having realized something as he observed this young man, "Hmmm, you're that person who was trying to calm down the soldiers earlier."

The young man let out a strained laugh as he addressed the Doushin, "Keyword being try, though obviously nothing came off that. I'm surprised you can remember me."

"Why, of course. It is simply the nature of my job. As for you joining us, I don't see why not. Now, may we be granted the pleasure of your name?"

Kazuha found it strange how quickly Heizou accepted the young man's words, seeing as he himself wasn't quite sure what to to think. This was because he found the abruptness of another person accompanying them to be confusing, considering Gorou was fine with the prior arrangement before he left.

"My name? You don't have to remember it, it's a bit embarrassing for me to introduce my full name," the soldier said nervously as he looked away.

Heizou remained undeterred, "Oh I insist, surely there must—"

"What do you think you lot are doing!?"

It was a yell unlike any other, because this one sounded hoarse, as if the individual themselves were straining themselves to even talk coherently.

At the same time, they could feel the main emotion evoked from such a shout.

Anger.

It was a man, who, unlike the many members of the Resistance situated here, was clearly not affiliated with them judging from his clothes. If anything, he looked to be one of the few people that lived on this island in spite of the ongoing civil war.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done!? Because of you, the seal for the Tatarigami has been weakened!"

At his proclamation, the cloudy sky that had hung above them suddenly became even darker.

As the irate man walked towards them, a thunderous roar echoed throughout the night as droplets of water fell from the sky.

The sudden downpour of rain would not have been concerning, if not for the trails of lightning that flashing, accompanied by strong winds causing their clothes to flap around.

Despite the strange change in weather, the man was too focused on directing his anger to care as he continued to berate them.

Just then, Goku noticed a peculiar shift in the air, and immediately took action as he realized what was about to ensue.

Lightning descended from above as it headed directly towards the man in question, but the man was no more aware than before as he continued to shout in the rain.

That lasted until the man felt a shove on his chest, causing him to be pushed backwards as a result, with Goku now standing in front of him.

It was a good thing he noticed in time, or else that would have ended terribly for the man.

...Well, that would be it, if it weren't for another individual's action.

Goku's eyes widened as he felt the touch of a hand at his back, and as he turned, realized that Kazuha was in mid-jump, his hand outstretched as well.

"Eh?"

Both of them looked confused at what just transpired, their minds barely registering what both had done in this one particular moment.

Distracted by Kazuha's intervention, Goku had momentarily forgotten about the existence of the incoming lightning.

Before he was able to recall this particular detail, lightning struck from above, hitting Goku as its sole target.

Chapter Text

Smoke arose from the impact of the lightning, obscuring the sight of the person who was the target of the unnatural phenomenon that had transpired out of nowhere.

"Goku!" Kazuha yelled out in an uncharacteristic panic, having just realized what he had done.

The man who had just fallen was in a dazed stupor, his mind still not quite up to speed with what just occurred as he looked on at an equally surprised Kazuha.

Behind the young samurai, Heizou kept a cool head, but his actions implied otherwise, notably due to the quickness in his footsteps.

Having shaken off his initial shock, Kazuha took a step forward approaching to gain a closer look at the scene, but could not due to the still arising smoke still being present. With the aid of the incessant downpour, it wasn't long before they could all see for themselves what had become of Goku's fate.

Defying the normal, Goku was the one who sprung out from the smoke, looking as enthusiastic as ever, almost as if what had just transpired had no apparent effect on him.

The only difference with the martial artist between now and before was that pieces of his loose clothes were now singed, most probably due to the aftermath of the lightning bolt.

That, and the small sparks still lingering around him.

"Phew, that sure stung a bit," Goku remarked casually before giving them his usual smile.

"Goku, you appear to be…fine?" Kazuha questioned.

"Hmm? You mean this?" Goku asked, pointing towards his now scorched clothes, "It ain't like I haven't been hit by lightning before. Plus, it's nothing compared to Raiden's lightning."

He wasn't exaggerating either. Regular lightning hurt, sure, but Raiden's lightning was in another league of their own. If he couldn't even withstand a natural phenomenon such as this, then there was no chance he was able to endure any of her techniques.

Kazuha did not seem to agree, "Regardless, I must extend my apologies to you Goku, I didn't foresee such an outcome from my...meddling."

"What are you talking about Kazuha, you don't need to apologize for what just happened ya know? Heck, I should have sensed that someone was behind me when I did that. The fact I didn't mean I still got a long way to go."

Truly, the road of constantly bettering oneself was a long one, which was something that life had reminded him time and time again.

"Plus, you probably would have saved the guy without me doing anything anyway. Maybe I shouldn't have jumped in like that?" Goku said awkwardly, scratching his right check.

He was quickly reminded that he should not have done that, given the remaining sparks of lightning still lingering in his body.

"Gagh!" Goku blurted out in mild pain, his tongue sticking out as a result.

"Well now, besides a small case of light shock it seems your body is as sturdy as ever," Heizou commented, joining into the conversation.

Although his tone was as steady as ever, his now slowed footsteps did imply that the Doushin was relieved to see Goku came out of the incident just fine.

Kazuha continued on despite the reasoning, "Still, it was because of my actions that pushed you in harm's way. There must be something I can do to atone myself."

Goku waved him off, "It's fine it's fine...but if you really want to apologize, you mind having a spar with me later Kazuha?"

"A spar?"

Goku nodded, "Yeah! With the way you moved just now I'm sure it would be a good fight."

Right then and there, Kazuha looked directly towards Goku, specifically in his eyes to see what belied them.

It took only but an instant for Kazuha to find that there was no bloodlust, nor resentment of any kind in them. Rather, there was only a desire made out of pure excitement, a look that Kazuha had rarely ever seen.

Maybe, just maybe...

Kazuha held an inaudible gasp that he did not realize, before easing into a comfortable nod, "Very well, then I'll mention it no more."

"With that out of the way, are you alright, good sir?" Heizou asked, with the rest of them turning to face the man that was saved mere moments ago.

For the man who had just been spared the fate of being struck down by the heaven themselves, all he could muster up in response was a curt reply.

"I'm...fine."

As the unknown man stood back up, Kazuha addressed him calmly, "Mhm. It is fortunate you were not caught in the aftermath of the blast. While my friend had come out mostly unscathed, I have an inkling that anyone else would have met a much more...unfortunate fate."

"Just because he saved me doesn't make you less guilty of destroying the ward," the man snapped back in irritation.

Despite the animosity, Kazuha felt the need to clarify, "There seems to be a misunderstanding. I can assure you that we had nothing to do with the destruction of this stone lantern."

"Quite right, it was simply bad timing that you saw us at the scene when you did," Heizou added.

The man looked between the three, scrutinizing their character one by one…deliberating on his options, before letting out a tired sigh.

"Fine. I'll give you guys the benefit of the doubt. The name's Kaji, and I'm one of the miners that live on this here island."

"Well now, that certainly explains a lot. Since you appear to be here for the same thing as we do, what exactly can you tell us about this stone pillar?"

Kaji shook his head, "It's not just a stone pillar, it's a ward, and there are multiple of them placed on this island. Judging by this abnormal weather, I would bet that all of them have been destroyed, which means the Tatarigami is rampant once more."

"I believe I heard of it before. These wards are the very same ones that keep the Tatarigami at bay, correct?" Kazuha questioned, having just now recalled the history behind Yashiori Island.

Kaji nodded. In turn, both Kazuha and Heizou wore grim expressions, knowing that the current situation was anything but good tidings.

Goku was the only among them who did not understand what meaning the term held, "Uh, what's a origami?"

Kaji found it strange that someone did not know of the existence of the curse, unless they were an outsider of course.

Kazuha was the one who decided to explain it to Goku, "I suppose the easiest way to describe it would be that it is a curse."

"Eh!? A curse?" Goku shouted, surprise evident in the tone of his voice.

"Yes, one that was created from Orobashi's death all those years ago. It was one so severe that the Shogun herself personally intervened to resolve it. Are you perhaps telling us that these wards are..." Kazuha trailed off, only for Kaji to talk once more.

"Yes, it is only thanks to our great Ogosho's wards that the curse never became too dangerous for those of us that live here, and why we're able to work safely as miners in the first place. "

Kaji then formed a fist, shaking it angrily at the air as he continued on, "And now...Krgh! If it weren't you who are the culprits, then who could be stupid enough to do such a thing?"

All of them did not have an answer for the man, but one thing was for certain, something had to be done about this.

"We are just as clueless as you are, which is why we are here to discover the truth for ourselves," Heizou.

The man blinked, not quite trusting what he had just heard, "You are?"

With a confident grin plastered across his face, Heizou continued on, "That's why I believe it would benefit all of us if you could indulge any and all information you have in regards to these wards."

Kaji wore a thoughtful look, organizing his thoughts carefully as he did not fully trust these strangers.

"Hey, don't forget about me now!" a young man said, almost screaming as he joined the four.

It was the Resistance member that had joined the three, though none of them knew how to address him, since his name remained unknown.

It was a matter that Heizou intended to rectify, "Oh, you certainly took your time...hmm, we still haven't established your name have we?"

"Like I said before, my name is way too embarrassing for me to tell other people," the young man said, nervously shaking his head.

"Then what do we call you? I find it hard to believe that your fellow comrades are able to coordinate with you in battle without a name of some sort."

"Of course! Just call me K-Kuhaku, that's what everyone else refers to me as."

Strange.

No matter how hard Kazuha searched through his memories, he could not recall anyone with such a name in all his time helping the Resistance. What's more, his appearance certainly did not match up with the name that was usually given to those that were born in Inazuma.

Then again, they were many individuals he did not recognize either, so it wasn't completely implausible to say the least.

Still, there was something about what Kuhaku said that did not sit well with him.

Meanwhile, Heizou showed no outward hint of awkwardness as he addressed the young man, "Very well, Kuhaka it is."

With the matter of his name decided, Kuhaku had one thing that was on his mind, "So...what's with the atmosphere? Wasn't the man saved just now, so shouldn't we be happy about that?"

Surprisingly, it was Goku who spoke up, "We are! It's just that I didn't expect this bad feeling I was having all day to be a curse of all things."

Without any further explanation of the sort, Kuhaku had already comprehended the issue they were discussing, "You mean the seal has been broken?"

As Goku attempted to get Kuhaku caught up with the situation, Kazuha decided to focus his attention on Heizou who was discussing the matter further with Kaji, most probably in regards to their next course of action.

"It depends on how broken the seal is, but it shouldn't be totally impossible to fix them...probably," Kaji stated, his eyes slightly shifting to the side at the last part of his sentence.

"I see...so what if I say that the stone lantern is merely missing components of some sort for it to be complete, would you say it is still possible for it to work as well as before?"

Kaji rubbed his chin, "I'll have to see the damages first. Even then, it's not like I'm an expert on them."

"Compared to the rest of us, you might as well be considered one. Anyhow, shall we take a look?"

Agreeing to the suggestion, the two then begun walking towards the stone pillar. With only the three of them remaining, Kazuha felt that they too should follow suit as his attention returned to the conversation that Goku was holding with Kuhaku.

"To think that someone would be so wicked that they would disturb the wards. If they're already destroyed, then that means we're too late to stop it." Kuhaku said pessimistically.

Goku tilted his head to the side, befuddled, "Why's that?"

"Well, weren't the wards made by the Shogun? What hope do we have to recreate something that only a god can do," Kuhaku reasoned.

"That may be true, but If we cannot do this, then how would we be able to brave the lightning's glow?" Kazuha chimed in.

Goku agreed with Kazuha, "Yeah, just because Raiden was the one who did it doesn't mean nobody else can't. Plus, I got a good feeling we can fix this by ourselves."

"You do know what you're saying right? I need to repeat this again, but the Shogun is a God. There's no hope in trying to compare us mortals to a being like that."

Goku blinked, not quite understanding Kuhaku's particular line of reasoning, "Ain't you guys going to face her sooner or later? There ain't no point in thinking whether or not you can do it or not, you just gotta."

Even with Goku's limited understanding, he was sure that this fighting with the Shogunate would lead into a confrontation with the Shogun in the future.

Knowing the Shogun however, Goku also felt there was an equal chance she would ignore them unless she declared them an enemy of Eternity.

Like she did with him.

"Goku is right. We mustn't think like that, surely there is something we are able to do. That said, I believe it is time we join Heizou and Kaji, as they have already begun their investigation on the stone pillar's condition."

Kuhaku nodded, though somewhat reluctantly while Goku didn't give a second thought on the matter they were just discussing as he headed off without any sort of convincing .

As the three arrived at the scene, they saw Heizou who was crouching at the bottom of the ward, with Kaji looking at the Doushin with full attention.

Heizou snapped his fingers as he stood right back up, "As I thought, it would appear that this will be easier than I thought."

"Really?" Kaji asked, bewildered at the statement.

"Did you not tell me earlier that the damages were not severe enough to hamper it permanently?" Heizou asked, eyeing the man.

Kaji nodded, "I did. Some parts might be missing but I think it's still doable to fix it back to how it was before."

"And pray tell, what exactly are we missing again? It's best to repeat it for the three that just arrived," Heizou said, gesturing to the others.

An exasperated sigh escaped Kaji's breath, "Haah…like I told you before, I don't know what to call them, but one looks like a purple crystal while the other one is shaped like a pearl."

"That certainly helps in our search for objects that are so distinct, but you forgot one little, yet important detail," Heizou stated, hinting at something else.

Kaji was stumped, not knowing what the Doushin was getting at, "What are you—Oh right, now I remember. They were always lit up, with sparks constantly flying off."

"And that—is how we'll find them, and with only a single attempt at that!" Heizou declared, his voice filled with certainty.

"Huh? How does that help?" Kuhaku voiced out.

It was Kazuha who answered instead, "I believe he is referring to the traces of elemental energy left by these components we need to find."

"Very astute, as expected of you Kazuha. It just so happens that we have two Vision wielders in this little group of ours. Following this train of logic, it would be a cinch for us to track them down easily, no?"

Goku was amazed at the new piece of information, "Wow, you guys can sense energy too?"

"Yes, though our way of doing so is different from yours Goku. While you sense for life, we see trails of elemental energy lingering in the air," Kazuha explained concisely.

"I wonder if I can do that?" Goku asked nobody in particular, before shutting both his eyes, concentrating fully on sensing ki.

Despite his efforts, He could not feel anything at all, except for the overbearing amount of dark aura that was now enveloping the entire island.

If Goku really tried, he could still somewhat sense ki, but it was overshadowed by the more prominent aura, to the point that it was better to use his other senses instead.

As useful as ki sensing was, he was starting to see the flaws that existed using such a technique as time went on,; something he had thought was unquestionably strong in the sense that the need of seeing using his eyes was no longer needed.

Guessed he shouldn't try and rely on it too much before it became a habit, because there might be cases where it would be a detriment to him instead of a benefit.

"Judging by that expression of yours, I take it it didn't go as well as you expected."

Goku gave an awkward laugh in response, of which Heizou did not mind at all as he turned to Kazuha instead.

"I've already used my elemental sight to find their whereabouts. While mine isn't too shabby, I would take a guess that you have a better sense for it, don't you Kazuha?"

"I would not know, but I will attempt it all the same. After all, it is better to have reassurance that it is indeed the item that we are searching for."

After saying so, Kazuha closed both his eyes, only to reopen them moments later, his Vision lighting up as a result.

There was a slight shift in the winds, something that not only Heizou noticed, but Goku was able to as well.

Kuhaku and Kaji looked at one another, shrugging as they could not tell what was going on. Meanwhile, Goku continued scrutinizing the whole process, taking in every little detail despite there being nothing extraordinary from an outsider's point of view.

The light of Vision then dimmed down as Kazuha spoke, "I can see it. With the way it trails along from the ward to a nearby location, It's clear that this is where they had been relocated."

Heizou agreed with the direction Kazuha was pointing at, "Conveniently, both the trails lead to the same location, which makes it very obvious where it is once you look at the scene, even without a Vision."

At that particular statement, all of them turned to see what Heizou was implying, and upon doing so, quickly realized what he meant.

Right below the hill they were standing on were various broken walls located across a plain. When seen from a certain angle, it formed the shape of a ruin, but whatever it originally was held no significance to what it was now. There were also other objects of interest, specifically the many pillar-shaped mounds that were situated in place.

What caught their eyes were not the scattered pieces of ruin nor the mounds, but the gigantic dome of water right at the center of it all, its size not only eye-catching, but also puzzling due to its sudden existence.

The flowing water spiraled in of itself, obscuring those who wished to view what lay inside the dome, yet the speed of its rotation was also a clear message to those who dared to see within.

Danger.

Despite the scene before him, Goku did not feel deterred in the slightest, merely excitement as he turned to others, "What are we standing here for? Let's head over there!"

His voice was what snapped them out of their thoughts. Before any one of them could utter a word in, Goku had already jumped from the small hill they were on, running straight towards the dome as he left them behind.

"I suggest we follow Goku's lead, as we might possibly cooperate with one another if we are to solve this issue in front of us," Kazuha said.

"Quite. Why don't you join him first then Kazuha, Kuhaku and I will be inspecting this mound that is floating near us, not to mention the similar looking ones in the area as well. My intuition is telling me that those might be the key to overcoming the challenge ahead of us."

Unlike the two vision wielders cool demeanor, Kuhaku was at a complete loss at what to do as he simply nodded along, "I don't really get all this, but if you need any sort of help I'll try my best to do so."

The three then began taking steps to move, albeit at a much slower pace compared to Goku who had already reached their destination...that was, until a certain someone stopped them in their tracks.

"Wait!" Kaji yelled, reaching a hand towards them.

Heizou was quick to respond, as if he expected this, "Yes?"

"Mind if I join you? Not just for this one, but for the rest of the wards on the island. I just...wanna see for myself whether or not you guys are really going to fix this whole mess."

Kazuha caught on to his true intention, "That is your decision. I cannot say for the others, but I will not hinder you in any way. This is your home after all, you are only ensuring that it remains as such."

Heizou was much more direct, "I would be rather thankful if you join us. After all, you are the local here, so any and all further information that you might recall would be appreciated if you come along."

Kuhaku shrank from the ongoing stares, as they were obviously waiting for his input on the situation, "What are you all staring at me for? I'm just here to make sure mister Heizou doesn't cause any trouble for the Resistance."

"And there you have it," Heizou concluded succinctly.

Kaji had no further comment to add as he followed along the three in order to catch up to Goku, who by this point, was standing before the hydro dome in, unmoving.

Goku stared at the wall of hydro in front of him, quietly observing each and every movement that it made.

It reminded him of a river, but one much more intense seeing that he could feel the breeze generated from the speed of its rotation, which was why he put his right hand forward, until it had physical contact with the spiraling water.

Upon doing so, he felt the immediate consequences as the palm of his hand received the brunt of the force.

It was akin to a shredder, cutting everything in its way, where little to no resistance would result in the loss of one's hand if they were not careful enough.

For one Son Goku, it was nothing but a light sensation of pain as he pulled his hand back, only to then inspect the damages.

There were mild cuts riddled across his palm, none to the extent that he was bleeding, but if his hand did remain there any longer, then he might not have gotten off so easily.

It informed Goku that the intensity of the water's flow was not to be underestimated.

Having assessed the situation, Goku breathed in slowly before pulling back the very same hand.

...only for him to punch straight at the air.

Invisible ki flew from his right fist, its trajectory directly straight at the location of the water dome.

A giant splash of water was dispersed from the outside of the dome as it collided with the barrier, leaving a fist-sized hole in it.

Much to Goku's disappointment, this moment did not last as the empty hole was quickly covered up by the rushing waters. Before long, it was no longer visible, as if nothing had occurred at all despite his technique earlier.

Still, Goku was not discouraged, "If that doesn't work, then I'll just have to try something else."

Kamehameha would be a no go, because there was a possibility that he would destroy the water dome outright, including the missing parts they were looking for.

Trying to maintain and at the same time adjust the intensity of the Kamehameha would be too exhausting as well, seeing that his ki capacity wasn't the greatest at the moment, especially after using Heizou's technique when they were sailing from Watatsumi Island to Yashiori Island.

That really left one other option for him to try...

"It seems you are pondering on a matter, yet you give off the air that the answer is already within your grasp, Goku," Kazuha commented, having just arrived at the same spot Goku was standing on.

"Kinda, but I ain't really sure until I try it out…where's everyone else Kazuha?" Goku asked, unsurprised at the young samurai's arrival.

Kazuha nodded at the others' general location, leading Goku's eyes to see that Heizou and the others were standing around some sort of tall stone monument.

Now that he thought about it, Goku noticed that it was not only the stone monument here either, as there were many other similar ones as well in the area they were in.

"Heizou believed that the mounds placed near this area are the key to disperse this hydro barrier that is preventing us from entering."

Goku could not help but give Kazuha a confused look at the statement, "Eeh, but he doesn't have to bother with anything like that. All I have to do is hit it with something strong enough to completely destroy it."

Just then, a purple orb flew right above them, soaring through the air until it hit an empty spot near their location, causing electric currents to spread out in a small area before dissipating into nothingness.

It was apparent to both Goku and Kazuha that the orb originated from Heizou's action, who was waving at them cheerfully, his usual smile accompanying him while Kuhaku and Kaji were panicking at the result.

Goku stared blankly at Heizou for a moment before getting back to Kazuha, "I guess that can work, but I wanna figure a way to do it by myself, ya know?"

"Unfortunately, I truly don't...why is it you wish to do so on your own, Goku?"

Call him curious, but despite Goku's simple yet blunt demeanor, Kazuha found him curiouser and curiouser with every successive interaction.

"Cause it's good training! It's not everyday ya get to see something like a huge ball of water, so I'm excited to see if I can figure a way to break it with everything that I learnt up until now. So, if you guys help then it means I'm cheating doesn't it?"

"So that is how you view this matter..."

Despite all the excitement Goku exuded, the young samurai noticed something interesting. It was minute, but Kazuha's ears were able to pick up a speck of disappointment at Goku's last words.

So, Goku had his own pride as a warrior as well, something that a certain someone he once knew could relate to.

"Alright, I got just the thing to make this work," Goku declared confidently.

The martial artist then lowered his upper body, shifting his footing ever so slightly as he positioned himself into a stance. Kazuha's eyes were entirely focused on Goku, intrigued on what Goku's next action might entail.

Twisting his right wrist, Goku then connected it with a right hook onto the water dome.

Though there was a loud noise that rang out from the impact, the water dome was merely rattled as it remained standing, even with the strength in Goku's punch.

Kazuha would have questioned what the aim of Goku's action was, but the answer was revealed in the form of a gust of wind that began gathering around his fist, until it solidified itself to clash against the outer shell of the hydro dome.

The scene before Kazuha was a peculiar sight, with strong winds blowing from Goku's technique, one might expect Goku's own wind to expand until it rivaled the water dome's size.

This was not what happened, rather it was the dome that somehow became even larger than before, something that Kazuha believed not even Goku himself saw coming.

The confusion on Goku's face said it all, but the expression did not last, for it changed right after a realization settled in the martial artist's mind.

"Ooh, I get it now. I shouldn't be going along with the flow, but against it."

It was only after what occurred, that Kazuha understood what Goku meant by that statement.

"See? Insert a bit of force and it operates as I expected, though I will confess I didn't predict a ball of electro energy being released so easily," Heizou said admittedly.

"That almost hit Mister Kazuha and Goku," Kuhaku blurted out nervously.

"Oh, they're more than capable of sensing a projectile coming at them from this distance," Kazuha said casually, not a hint of concern in his tone of voice.

Kaji gave him a look, one that screamed regret for his recent choice, "I don't know what's going on with you people, but just from the few minutes I've interacted with you, I can say I trust you the least out of all of them."

Heizou shrugged, "Harsh. Here I am just doing my job, investigating the cause and trying to solve the obstacle at the same time...no wonder so many of my associates want to rise up in rank, so to speak. Getting back to the topic at hand, I would take a gander that this mound here is the trigger, and the other similar shaped objects around the area are what guides the projectile."

"Hmm, why do you say that?" Kuhaku asked.

At that, Heizou gave a smirk,"Simple. Look at the top of the mound, now compare it to the others. Don't you think that the one we have is the only one different from the others?"

It was true. The one they were standing nearby was in the shape of a crescent, where the electro energy was being generated in what would have been an empty space, while the other ones looked like mirrors of some kind.

"I can talk away all I want, but the best way to prove my observations is to simply test them out," Heizou said as he slowly turned the top of the mound to a specific angle.

Right after that, he delivered a fierce kick to the mound, with the resulting force causing it to spit out another ball of electro, only this time it was at one of the mirrors.

The moment it got in contact with them, the electro ball was reflected towards another direction altogether, with the projectile landing in a different location in comparison to the one before.

Kuhaku nodded in understanding, "Oh, I get it now. So we just move the other mirrors until we get the projectile to hit at the right angle."

"Got it in one. Of course, it'll take us time to adjust them until we get just the right setup but it shouldn't be too hard, given all the tools that's already laid out for us."

Right after Heizou's explanation, all three of them had the pleasure of being splashed by a body of water.

All three of them blinked, not knowing the cause of such an occurrence. It didn't matter too much considering they were already standing under the rain, but it did cause all three to turn to the direction that it came from.

Heizou let out a chuckle upon taking a single glance at the scene, "Well, I'll be. It seems Goku beat us to the punch already. I can't say I'm upset about it either, because it certainly requires less effort than what I was originally planning on."

At the center of the former ruins, one Son Goku was standing right in front of an empty space, an empty space that was where the hydro drome was originally situated, and what was revealed was an empty area just beneath the ground.

Coupled with the strong yet sudden gust of wind that had just come towards their direction, Heizou did not need to see for himself to understand what had just transpired in order for the hydro dome to completely disappear.

"That guy...doesn't have a Vision right?" Kaji couldn't help but question, bewildered.

"He does not, which makes him interesting, don't you think? Now then, how about we join them in retrieving those missing parts?"

A bit stupefied, Kaji nodded anyway while Kuhaku was strangely quiet. Nonetheless, the three began moving down the hill to reconvene with Goku and Kazuha.

As Goku jumped down to grab ahold of the floating orb, Kazuha was still thinking back on Goku's action just before the water drome was completely and utterly destroyed.

The way the martial artist reached such a solution as well was not one that Kazuha believed he could reach on his own. As soon as Goku realized his initial mistake, he was able to quickly turn the situation around.

At the start, Goku's own wind held the same direction and rotation as the intensive water current. To correct that mistake, Goku exerted the same amount of force as the rotation of the waters, only this time the wind was in a completely opposite direction.

This was essentially how the martial artist was able to destroy it utterly down to its last drop, by directly opposing it with his own strength to the point that it completely overpowered the force that held the water dome structurally.

Truly, Kazuha was beginning to understand Her Excellency's interest in Son Goku.

Any further pondering was halted as Goku returned from his retrieval of the items they were looking for, "Hey, Kazuha! Are these the things we're looking for?"

What was presented before the young samurai were two items in each of Goku's hands, one gem and another a pearl, both glowed with a purple hue.

There was no mistaking it.

"It is, but are you certain you want to hold them like that Goku? I can feel the electro energy radiating from them, and judging from the way it vibrates, I don't think it quite agrees with your way of handling."

"You mean these things? Don't worry about it, I've taken way worse you know," Goku reassured him.

Kazuha believed him, despite having limited knowledge of Goku's battle history.

A familiar voice then came into the scene, "And I would like to say we are grateful for that Goku, though you could give a bit of the spotlight for others to show off a bit before deciding to solve the problem in one fell swoop."

"Sorry Heizou, but I couldn't wait that long, you know?" Goku reasoned, though it was obvious to the Doushin that he was going to do it with or without his input.

Heizou was amused, to say the least, "I'll accept that apology, if you would do me the honors of putting those components back onto the ward."

"I can do that," Goku said cheerfully.

After saying so, Kaji, who was behind Heizou walked towards Goku with the utmost focus, saying nothing as he inspected the two objects in Goku's hand.

The man then let out a gruff, which seemed to be acknowledgement that he was indeed holding the correct components.

Goku took his weird affirmation in stride as they all began walking back towards the ward.

"Yeowch!" Goku uttered in pain at the sudden yet intense shock from the object he was holding on.

Heizou, who was standing beside him let out a hum, "Hmm, a little more to the right Goku."

"Here? Gekh!"

"Maybe to the right?" Kuhaku added in from the sides.

"Krgh!"

Kaji shook his head as he commented from behind all three, "No no, it's up, because it wants to be exactly in the middle. If you move it just the slightest bit then it won't be able to hold itself up."

This scene had repeated more times than Goku could count, with him trying to slowly adjust the right position for putting the orb-like pearl in the Hibukuro, which was the upper section of the stone lantern.

The other component, which was the gem, had already been placed in its proper place, where it was perfectly embedded into the structure. The struggle was with the pearl where there was no perfectly shaped space for them to put into, rather only empty air where they have to correctly guess the exact coordinates.

Even after several minutes, he and the others were no closer to figuring the exact position of where the pearl should be placed.

As Heizou, Kaji and Kuhaku continued to make guesswork, with Goku following their suggestions, it was only Kazuha who had been silent ever since they gathered back at the ward.

That soon changed, as Kazuha walked up the stone lantern, before pointing to a specific location.

"...Goku, place it here," Kazuha stated decisively.

The martial artist did as was instructed, and to the surprise of all of them sans Kazuha, the orb lighted up, slowly intensifying until electro energy radiated outwardly, with electric currents flowing within the stone lantern.

The pieces of rubbles that were scattered around the foot of the pillar began to levitate, until it pieced themselves into the stone pillar.

It was only when the light shined brighter than ever did it become a confirmation that the ward was whole again.

"This is it! It's fixed!" Kaji shouted in excitement for the first time since they met him.

"How did you figure it out, Kazuha?" Heizou asked, curious of the method that Kazuha utilized.

"I merely felt the flow of the energy within the pillar," Kazuha said simply.

"That would do it. Though I did the same, you've already proven you are more acute in this aspect," the young Doushin complimented.

Kazuha said nothing in response.

Heizou then turned to Kaji, "Since we're done here. Where would our next destination be, my good man?"

"I am not your good man," Kaji responded, annoyed, "But if I remember it right, the closest one would be the ward near Serpent's Head."

"Serpent's Head?"

"It's the location where Lord Orobashi was slain," Kuhaku stated.

Now that certainly held Goku's attention.

Goku took in the scenery before him as he continued to walk with the rest of the group, not knowing how he should think based on what he was seeing with his own two eyes.

From where he was standing, he could see the long stretches of bones, all connecting from one part to another, at a size that was more than tens of times bigger than of his own. Then, his eyes finally settled on the gigantic skeleton that presumably formed Orobashi's head.

It was strange to him, for he did not know Orobashi personally, just the story that was described by Kokomi.

Yet, Goku could not help comparing the Serpent God to the Kami of his world.

Was this what would happen if Kami died? Would his parting gift be a curse that would spread out, causing more trouble as it went on?

Probably not, but Goku didn't really know. Before all this, he never really questioned much in regards to the role of a God, or what would happen if they were gone. All Kami ever emphasized was his training, and how paramount it was that he vanquished Piccolo.

It probably didn't make sense, but he at least hoped that Orobashi went out with no regrets in his last moments, as ridiculous as it sounded.

"Your expression speaks a thousand words, Goku. Are you conflicted upon seeing the remains of a God?" Kazuha chimed, having noticed Goku being less exuberant than usual.

"Don't know, I just feel kinda bad for Orobashi, dying like this. I get the feeling he wouldn't like the whole curse thing running around again either."

"Death has always been sudden, it is an aspect that none of us can predict, not even the Gods I fear. As for the Tatarigami, I have no insight on whether or not it was a choice made by Lord Orobashi in his last moments, as we are merely witness to the consequences after his passing."

No one uttered a word, not even Heizou who usually would have a comment about the situation.

Goku broke the silence as he had a question lingering in his mind with regards to his new friend, "Hey Kazuha, you're not part of the Resistance Kokomi takes care of right?"

"Technically, no. I'm more akin to a mercenary that willingly helps them out whenever it suits my needs."

Though the young samurai said that he had always been at the forefront of the battlefield alongside his friend Gorou, each strike of his blade meant to oppose the Shogunate that threatened to take their Visions away.

"Why do you fight them then?" Goku asked, interested in Kazuha's reason for fighting.

There was an air of melancholy as Kazuha began his explanation, "If you would believe it...I did not at the beginning. Rather, I was hesitating on my involvement to oppose the Vision Hunt Decree. Seeing as I was fleeing from pursuing officers that were after my Vision, I did not want to envision what it might entail if they knew I resisted."

At the beginning of the Vision Hunt Decree, tt was a struggle for someone as high-profile as he was, what with being the last heir of the Kaedahara Clan. Being constantly chased down by officers that aimed to confiscate his Vision.

He had even met some who had more…insidious intentions.

"What changed then?"

At this, Kazuha let out an unknowing smile as he continued on, "I had a friend, a very near and dear one at that. Unlike me who was reluctant to act on one's desire, he was the one who stood up and issued a challenge against one of the enforcers before the throne of the Raiden Shogun."

"A throne? You mean the one that was in Raiden's room?" Goku asked, recalling his memory of the scene.

Kazuha nodded, "Yes, and it is an important detail."

Goku did not think much of it at the time, as his only focus was on the battle between the two of them. That, and the fact he brought down the wall during his fight with Raiden.

"Why's that?"

"That is due to a certain rule that is absolute and eternal in the eyes of the Electro Archon; those who are defeated there will be executed by the Raiden Shogun herself."

Even Goku could tell what occurred just from the solemn expression Kazuha held as he spoke, "I guessed he didn't win huh?"

It was clear that whatever incident that ensued, Kazuha's friend did not come out of it in one piece. Rather, it was most probably where his final moments were.

"Indeed, it was a loss, and at the same time, not quite. Ever since he heard of its existence, he always held the desire to come face to face with the Musou no Hitotachi and withstanding its strike," Unexpectedly, Kazuha's smile returned before speaking once more, "Though he is now lost to living, it was his hope that burnt so bright that made me realize that I cannot simply allow it to be extinguished. That is why I fight, and the reason I oppose the Vision Hunt Decree."

"You're a lot better than I was about it, that's for sure," Goku praised.

This not only caught Kazuha's attention, but the rest of them as well.

"What do you mean?"

Goku looked up to the sky, the rain falling even now as he began, "Well, it was when I was fighting at a tournament two years ago. Right after it was finished, my best friend was murdered by someone…when I lifted his body, all I felt was how cold it was…how lifeless. After that, I was angry at the monster for doing such a cruel thing and chased after him right away without thinking of anything else."

The image of an angered Goku was one none of them could imagine easily, but Kazuha asked regardless, "You let your anger control you?"

"Yeah...looking back on it, my master was right in that I shouldn't have rushed out like that, but all I could think about at the time was that I had to avenge my friend's death. There was no way I would let a monster like that get away so easily."

"Then, what happened?"

"I met him, and when I did…all he did was mock my best friend when he realized who he just killed—he taunted me, saying how weak he was…it made me furious," Goku unknowingly tightened his fist at the memory, "Then I lost, because I was too caught up in my anger to realize I didn't have a lot of energy left, since I just had a big fight with someone really strong."

Unlike Kazuha's previous expression, Goku bore one that did not hint at any sign of failure, "Judging by your explanation, I would take it you eventually prevail, correct?"

"Yup, I had a rematch and I finished him off without a way for him to return," Goku stated simply.

The implication was not lost on any of them, most of all Kazuha who had dealt with such a thing for a period of time now.

"Revenge, it is something I might have thought of when my dear friend passed away. In that regard, I can understand why you did such a thing. Tell me Goku, how did it feel after it was done?"

Now that was a line of thinking Goku never delved into, not because he never tried, moreso at the time, his concerns and issues only magnified after that particular fight.

In fact, this issue had not been resolved yet, considering Piccolo was still very much alive back in his own world, reincarnation or not.

It took a while for Goku to reflect back on that moment, but the answer came out in the end as he responded, "Relief, I guess...but kinda empty at the same time."

Maybe he would become enraged again if someone important to him was gone once more, repeating the same mistake he had done in the past. Despite all the meditations and training he received at the lookout giving him a more...finer insight into the nature of life, he could not deny that it was still a possibility.

"I see."

For Kazuha, his eyes held no judgment on Goku's action, nor how he felt, there was only acceptance.

"Bah, you can talk all you want but if it wasn't for people like you, then this stupid civil war would be over already."

It was Kaji who voiced out his disagreement, interrupting the moment, "What gives you the right to make Yashiori Island your base, my home of all places. If it weren't for you, then my family would be able to live here in peace."

Kazuha did not flinch from the man's outburst, having expected such a reaction, "First and foremost, I extend my sincerest apologies to you Kaji, alongside the many innocents that have been dragged unnecessarily into this conflict. It is also why I will not seek forgiveness for what I have done or will do in the future.

"So what? You think this makes things right!?" Kaji yelled out angrily.

Kazuha shook his head calmly, "No, I do not. The moment I decided to tread on this path I have already accepted whatever fate has in store for me. After all, what I and the Resistance are attempting to do is most certainly not the eternity that the Raiden Shogun seeks. However, I have no intention of bending to the Vision Hunt Decree, as not only is it my desire, but others as well that wished for its abolishment. To do so now would extinguish that ray of hope that my dear friend had shined through for many that day."

Kaji was silenced, his frustration still present but he was unable to refute the young samurai either.

Believing that he was needed, Heizou joined in to calm the situation down, "You know, I might not agree with the Resistance's method but I do understand why out of all places in Inazuma, Yashiori Island was picked."

"And why's that?" a low growl threatened to escape Kaji's lip, his anger about to burst.

"It's merely a matter of geography, along with the many advantages that it brings with it," Heizou explained factually.

Kaji was almost in disbelief upon hearing such reasoning, "Just because of that!?"

"That is simply the nature of war. Wins there may be, but losses just as many if not more. It is the leader's role to maximize their chances of winning in the battlefield, and locations for camps are one of the important aspects of warfare. That said, no matter how competent a leader might be, there will always be losses on both sides," Heizou then turned towards Kazuha, facing him as he spoke, "Or do you have another insight into how the leader of the Resistance operates?"

"No, I do not. Her Excellency's thoughts are beyond even my understanding," Kazuha answered, denying his assumption.

"Yeah, Kokomi is pretty confusing at times but..." Goku trailed off before staring Kaji in the eyes, "After this whole curse thing is fixed, you won't need to worry about it anymore."

The sheer confidence Goku exuded caught even the still vexed Kaji off-guard, "What makes you so sure? There's no end to this damn war in sight."

"Cause I'll make sure it does."

There was no hesitance, nor any hint of doubt in his voice. To Goku, it was already a sure-fire matter, no matter how stacked the odds were against his favour.

If he did, then he wouldn't be Son Goku after all.

"Given what you plan to do, I am not surprised that you would say that. After all, you are the one and only person who had withstood the Musou no Hitotachi head-on, and lived to tell the tale."

Given Heizou already possessed this piece of knowledge, Kazuha felt no need to hide it as he brought this topic to the forefront. The others however…

"Wait what!?"

"That's impossible!"

Not so much.

Sounds of disbelief could be heard from both Kaji and Kuhaku, yet Goku could only focus on Kazuha's words.

Kazuha pressed on with his words, "Allow me to get to the heart of the matter, Goku, what you have done can be considered to be a first in the history of Inazuma. Truthfully, the importance of this event cannot be understated."

Goku couldn't quite believe that, since he was sure there were way more people who challenged her, as any good fighter would desire to do so, "It can't be that important...I mean, there's no way someone else didn't do it before, right Heizou?"

Having been addressed, Heizou answered, "No, Kazuha's right. In fact, the public would gossip like wildfire if they knew of this incident because it is just that hot of a topic. You need to understand Goku, the name Musou no Hitotachi itself brings an innumerable amount of infamy by itself, it's why the technique is revered so highly among the people."

Kazuha nodded in agreement, silently thanking Heizou as he carried on, "There will be a ripple effect once words spread of your survival. Before long, everyone will possess this bit of knowledge sooner or later."

Goku felt the need to correct them, "...but I didn't withstand Raiden's technique. Sure, I survived but it wasn't because I did it by myself or anything."

"That maybe so, but it is an achievement that will be lauded regardless, especially among the Resistance, just like how my dear friend once was," Kazuha then stared the martial artist squarely in the eyes, "Goku, you are the one who has braved the lightning's glow. This in turn, effectively makes you the hope that will inspire others into opposing the will of the Shogun herself. "

"No way."

It was firm, yet there was no frustration or anger in his words as he refuted Kazuha's claim.

"I don't know about being this hope, but it isn't gonna be me. I just want to do what I think is right and right now, I want to stop this whole decree thing that's happening in Inazuma."

In a way, Kazuha's words reminded Goku of Kami's, emphasizing that his actions somehow brought about change to a degree that he could never imagine.

But those were never his intentions, not even when he was fighting Piccolo Daimao.

He had always been simply following whatever he thought felt right to him, nothing more and nothing less.

That was why…

"And to do that, I'll figure out a way to beat Raiden's technique."

It was an absurd proclamation, but only to Kaji and Kuhaku. For Kazuha and Heizou, they had already expected such an answer given Goku's previous statement on wanting to fight the Shogun once more.

No one that spirited intended to fight a deity with the desire to lose.

"I am wrong then Goku, you...are unlike my dear friend," Kazuha admitted, now finally noticing the differences, something of which was privy to only him and no one else.

"Course not, he's him and I'm me. Ain't nothing more to it than that."

What a simple reasoning, but Kazuha could not find himself disagreeing with them.

"Now that this enlightening topic has concluded...Kazuha, do you sense something out of place here?" Heizou questioned, his expression turning serious at the very last sentence as he came to a halt, urging them to do the same.

Kazuha did not understand what the Doushin meant, until his ears picked up a strange noise...a noise that belonged to a creature that should not exist here.

"Ooh, I can sense it too. Guess we were too focused on talking to notice huh?" Goku remarked, looking in the same direction that the two Vision bearers were.

The only ones left in the dark were Kaji and Kuhaku, who were confused about what they were talking about.

None of them could see the creature from this distance, not helped by the rain considerably obscuring their line of sight.

Then, the three felt it.

The being was no longer rooted in their position, but instead heading towards them at great speed.

"Kuhaku, Kaji, calm yourself for what is about to happen," Heizou instructed.

The two didn't have the time to respond, as the creature had already arrived in their general location.

"Below!" Goku shouted aloud.

With quick thinking, Heizou grabbed Kaji and Kuhaku respectively by their collars as he moved away from their position. Meanwhile, Kazuha was prepared to unsheathe his sword at a moment's notice.

The ground beneath them crackled as the pieces of the land were launched upward, a hole now present for a split second before the creature revealed itself by jumping towards them.

Goku, having anticipated the surprise attack, smoothly got out of its attack range before jumping into the air, following the creature's line of trajectory.

Kazuha, who had intended to cut it down the moment it became visible, was forced to forsake that venture as his blade was used to guard against the creature's tail that had swung in his direction, sending him backwards.

Once the monster reached the peak of its jump, Goku took the opportunity to spin-kick its abdomen the moment it was about to fall back again.

The ensuing action was able to push the creature dozens of paces away from them, as well as throwing it off-balance in the process when it landed on the ground.

Having averted the sudden attack, they were given a temporary respite, as well as being presented a chance to clearly see what they were up against.

Kuhaku was the first to react at the opponent they were facing, "Is t-that a gigantic s-scorpion!?"

It was not the Resistance member who was showing fear at the sight in front of him, but Kaji too felt the same thing as he took a step backwards, "I've...never seen anything like this, in all my life living on this island."

It was indeed a scorpion, but one that was several times bigger than any of them, its claws sharp enough enough to cut them in half. What was more alarming than its size however, was the dark aura that was lingering around them, almost akin to a miasma that refused to go away.

Unnatural, that was what they all felt.

"This is an issue, we can't quite fix the ward if there's a monster sized scorpion prowling about," Heizou stated, his thoughts not just on the current issue, but on the other one as well.

"Then we will simply have to either drive it off, or cut it down on where it stands," Kazuha asserted, his blade at the ready.

"It's up again!" Kuhaku alerted.

Everyone readied themselves as the scorpion regained its balance, and upon relocating their position, immediately sprinting towards them at full speed.

While they prepared for the worst, It was Goku who gave them a simple reassurance as he now stood in front of them, "Don't worry, I'll handle this on my own while you guys take care of the ward."

Not that Goku did not think the others couldn't beat it on their own. He already knew Heizou was plenty capable on his own, and just from seeing Kazuha's stance he could also tell the young samurai was no stranger to combat.

The reason he wanted to do this by himself was because I really need to get a bit of exercise in. Ever since he had awakened, his body still felt stiff beyond reason, even with all the training he did with practicing the technique Heizou taught him, so a fight should get him back feeling better than ever.

Besides, fighting something new always excited him to no end.

Before any one of them could give their opinion on the matter, the martial artist already rushed off to meet with the monster head on.

Upon noticing the movement of one of its prey, the gigantic scorpion reeled in both of its claws, waiting for the moment to strike as the two came into blows.

The monster striked from both sides the moment he was within its range, with Goku countering by holding out both his hands, stopping its claws in its tracks.

With its claws rendered useless by its prey, the monster scorpion went for another option through swinging its tail, with the stinger at the forefront now coming down upon Goku, where both of his arms were preoccupied with the claws.

Mere moments before being hit by it, Goku lifted both his legs up, pushing himself off the ground thanks to his arms using the claws as anchors, before unleashing a drop kick at full strength.

This proved to be effective, as it was more than sufficient to push the monster off of him just like before, but this time Goku had a specific direction in mind.

The area in front of the Serpent's Head.

As the monster crashed onto the aforementioned location, Goku gave the group a confident grin before heading to continue his fight with the monster.

With Goku leaving their peripheral vision, Heizou was the first to speak up among them, with a plan already in mind, "I don't see much use in persuading him out of this, so I believe we best do as Goku suggested while he takes his time with his new...challenger."

Kazuha spoke up, having sensed something in the surrounding, "Heizou, you are able to locate the ward near us correct?"

"Of course. Even if I couldn't, we have our local expert here that will make sure to know that we are on the right track."

Kaji, who had just heard the particular comment, gave the Doushin an irritated look, while Kazuha let out a sigh of relief.

"Then I shall leave it to you. I can sense one of the components right underneath us, so I shall journey alone while you lead Kaji and Kuhaku to the ward."

Heizou activated his Vision as he tried to find the elemental trail that Kazuha saw, but came up short, "I can't say I feel the same thing as you do, but I do trust your keen senses, so feel free to do so and reconvene with us once you're done."

"I will."

With nothing more to say, Kazuha headed off to the group's left, only to stop at the foot of the cliff.

The young samurai studied the ground only for a moment, before identifying something was amiss as he let out a flurry of cuts downwards, causing pieces of metal to be sent flying upwards, revealing a square-sized hole for Kazuha to enter.

With little to no hesitation, Kazuha jumped down the gap, leaving the three on their own.

"Huh, I didn't even know there was a gap there," Kaji muttered to himself.

This did not escape Heizou's notice, "It was probably obscured by the natural foliage, so one might not notice it without stumbling upon it unintentionally...well, except for Kazuha that is."

After hearing the casualness in Heizou's voice and seeing for himself what they were capable of, Kaji was struggling with handling the differences between a normal person and Vision wielders.

"Is this why the Vision Hunt Decree was enacted?"

It was a question that no one answered, as Kuhaku was looking at the ground in silence while Heizou was more focused on what they should be doing.

"Let's not dally then. While I have confidence in Goku's strength and Kazuha's perceptiveness, I would like to finish our own roles before they finish with theirs. That way, we can have a bit of a rest before they come back," Heizou reasoned.

"Shouldn't we be helping them after we're done?"

"Now, why ever would we do that?" Heizou said, clearly jesting from the tone of his voice.

Goku stared down his opponent that held an appearance that was outwardly different compared to earlier. For starters, not only was the miasma still persisting out of its body, but there was now a layer of electric current coating it.

That was not the only thing, as electro energy also flowed erratically in and out of its claws, as well as its stinger that was poised to strike him when given the chance.

With the way it was cautiously observing him, Goku could tell that the monster was treating him less like prey, and more of an actual opponent, which worked just fine for Goku since he wanted it to show him everything that it was capable of.

Then, something unexpected occurred.

Lightning descended from above, but just as it was about one of the empty spaces around them, it curved slightly towards the monster, hitting it directly.

Though it was obvious that the lightning did not hurt the monster in any noticeable way, Goku found this little detail interesting and reminded himself to take note of it if it ever happened again.

It was a clue to a question he had been deliberating on, and he felt that this fight would definitely enlighten him on the matter, perhaps even allow him to find the answer he was seeking.

Besides, this wasn't going to be that easy of a fight considering how low his ki capacity was at this point. He could probably exert a single ki technique at most, and it was best to save his strength for now.

Perhaps using his new technique so much after just recovering wasn't the best idea.

Still, he was confident in his chances of winning, even when only relying almost solely on his physical strength.

It kinda reminded him of older times, of the days where he hunted wild animals in the mountains before a certain encounter that set him off on a journey for the dragon balls, which made Goku wonder how similar the taste of this monster would be to a regular scorpion…

His thoughts were disrupted as his opponent sprung into action, spinning itself on the same spot.

Goku initially found this strange, until he noticed the increasing number of stingers floating right above it, each one of them coated in electro energy.

It didn't take long for him to figure out what it was trying to do the moment the scorpion stopped spinning, and moments later those very same stingers flew towards him at a considerable speed.

A more cautious fighter would have backed away, but with the way they were moving, Goku knew he could dodge them just fine, and immediately ran forward.

While the stingers were numerous, Goku evaded each and every one of them as they flew past him, coming out completely unscathed as he came into close combat with the scorpion.

Upon sensing Goku's current whereabouts, the monster scorpion responded by doing something that Goku did not expect.

Instead of attacking him directly, it plugged its tail into the ground, electro energy surging as spikes of electro now surrounded him horizontally.

It could have worked, if it had timed its attack better.

Upon arriving at just a hand's reach from the radius of the explosion, Goku backflipped over it, before diving back downwards as he delivered a straight punch towards its head.

The gigantic scorpion was unable to react in time as Goku's fist connected, creating a crack in its exoskeleton.

The monster staggered, becoming dizzy yet at the same time, enraged at the culprit for daring to attack it in this manner as it swung its claw wildly.

Goku, having fought wild beasts so many times already, foresaw this coming as he calmly sidestepped its claws, not a hint of panic in his movements as he did so.

Frustrated at its inability to hit Goku after several attempts, the scorpion spun itself once more, only this time extending its tail all the way in the hopes of hitting Goku with the radius of the swing.

It succeeded, its tail having struck Goku, until it began squirming as it sensed the horrible situation it was in upon realizing it was unable to freely move.

This was due to the fact that Goku had not been tossed aside by its tail swing. Rather, he remained rooted onto the ground, with both his feet only skidding the ground the tiniest amount of steps.

Letting out a confident grin, Goku then grabbed ahold of the monster's tail tightly before lifting it from the ground.

Holding the monster's entire weight by himself, it its best wriggle out of Goku's hold, even trying to electrocute the martial artist judging by the lighting up of the stinger, but he shrugged it off as Goku had other plans in store for his opponent.

"ORRAH!" Goku yelled out as he begun spinning it in a circular motion.

This carried on for a while, with Goku continually swinging its tail around while the scorpion was left helpless in his grasp.

It finally ended when Goku released his hold. In doing so, caused the scorpion to be flung to the left jaw of Serpent's Head.

As rubble fell onto the giant scorpion due to the sudden collision, Goku checked both his opponent's condition and his body's condition after performing such a move.

For the monster, it was apparently still alive considering it was slowly shifting about, most probably still recovering from being thrown around so much.

As for himself, it seemed like he had not overextended himself by lifting such a huge monster, informing him that his physical strength was no doubt returning back to him rather quickly, despite his use of them being lacking in the past two weeks.

He could follow it up with another attack on his opponent, but felt that there was no need to as he still had yet to confirm something he really wanted the answer to.

With most of the stiffness in his body gone, he can more than hold out a while in a battle if it came down to it.

His train of thought was challenged as Goku saw the black miasma burst out from the consecrated beast, the intensity of its darkened aura so thick that Goku could almost see nothing but a ball of darkness.

Not only that, violet sparks of light complemented its new aura as it intensified as well, striking out in all sorts of directions before finally settling itself into the black miasma.

Goku had no clue on what this black miasma was, even when he and the others first saw it firsthand.

One thing was clear; there was no room for doubt that this black miasma was what granted the scorpion its newfound power.

Just then, lightning fell from the skies above, hitting the monster exactly just as the sound of thunder roared in the rain.

Instead of being mildly bothered like the last time, the lightning strike somehow empowered it even more, evident by the rise of intensity in the electro energy coursing through its body.

Goku should have been worried about the sudden increase of strength, but he was far too focused on something else to give it more than a second thought.

"That's it! I figured it out!" Goku said excitedly, shouting for no one to hear.

One second had not even passed after Goku finished declaring such a thing, that the beast had already launched its next assault.

"Strange, it has the same issue as the last ward."

What Heizou meant by his words was that the two components they had found last time...was the exact same things that were missing for this new stone lantern they were at.

The three were currently standing in front of the second ward, scrutinizing and identifying the issues as best as they could. No matter how thorough their investigation was however, Heizou could only come to one conclusion at what he found.

This was deliberate.

"Oh, and what's this?" Heizou said as he noticed a piece of paper that was on the ground beside the stone lantern.

As he turned to the front of the note, Kaji and Kuhaku joined him, both standing right behind Heizou as they too took a glance at the wet paper.

"The writing is muddied due to the rain, but something so trivial cannot escape my notice. If it were, then I would need to resign as a Doushin," Heizou commented before turning his attention back to the paper, "Anywho, let's take a look shall we..."

Silence reigned in as the three stood silently under the downpour, too focused on reading the note that even the drizzled rain did not bother them.

"What..does it say?"

Kaji could sort of make out what was written on the note, but the words he could identify did not give him a good impression of a certain group, which was why he needed confirmation from Heizou.

Then, and only then would he allow his anger to explode.

"According to this note, it seems that the Resistance had a hand in destroying the stone lanterns, all in what I can assume to be an attempt to revive their deity," Heizou surmised, his eyes never leaving the note he was holding.

Kaji could hold back his emotions no longer, "I knew it! I knew it was those idiots. If it weren't for them, then the Tatarigami wouldn't have been unseal!"

"Maybe it's some sort of mistake, it has to be," Kuhaku said unconvincingly.

The miner then turned to Kuhaku, "And one of them is standing right here," Kaji said angrily as he grabbed Kuhaku by the shirt, glaring at the young man.

The sole Resistance member cowered in fear, "B-but, I didn't have any idea of something like this happening at all!"

"Kuhaku is right, as the last bit of this note says that neither the Divine Priestess nor the lowest-ranking of the members have any ideas of it."

This certainly tracked, given that the Divine Priestess herself had not been on Yashiori Island for two weeks according to Goku's statement, and it must have been a small, yet selective group, given the fact that they did not bother leaving such sensitive information to the lower ranks.

This group wanted to keep this a secret, even amongst their own allies.

Why was that?

There was one clue that was the key to all this, as Heizou directed a question, "Kuhaku, do you know of anyone called Nathan?"

The young man flinched at the Doushin's question, before nodding slowly, "Well, I have heard of him before, but he's in another division entirely. All I heard from word of mouth is that he's a person from Monstandt. Why did you ask, is he mentioned in that note?"

"Yes, and his participation was not a small one, considering he was the one who informed this particular group on how to revive their God, which evidently was not what happened."

It couldn't have just been simple blind fanaticism. There was something more at play here, he just couldn't quite pin it down yet.

"Instead, they brought about the Tatarigami. When I find this Nathan, I'm going to wring his neck for telling those idiots at the Resistance to break the wards," Kaji remarked, his anger still prevalent.

Another crime scene wasn't on Heizou's agenda, "Let's not go that far. Besides, I intend to track him down by the end of this, as I have many questions for this person myself. Once I've ascertained his past intentions, and if they turned out to be malicious...then I will hunt him down to the end of Teyvat if I must."

The statement sent shivers to Kaji's spine, even if they weren't directly towards him, as in the short time that he knew of the Doushin, Heizou had never acted with such seriousness before.

It was a reminder that despite his nonchalant attitude, Shikanoin Heizou was still very much a Vision-wielder working under the Tenryou Commission.

"With Kazuha already searching for one of the components on his own, it's safe to say that the one in this direction would be the one we should be looking for," Heizou said, returning back to his usual demeanour as he beckoned the other two.

Kaji originally would have wanted to shout and yelled in anger at Kuhaku some more so that he was able to vent out his frustrations, but the desire died out after seeing a glimpse of Heizou's true feelings on the matter.

He needed to get rid of those thoughts, he should only think about them until after the wards were restored.

What laid before Heizou sure seemed like deja vu, quite a recent one at that.

As he and the other two stood atop the cliff, they noticed a very familiar sight that was below them.

Hydro dome.

Heizou didn't even need his elemental Vision to know that the component they were looking for was within the hydro dome, eventhough it was what led them to this direction in the first place.

What's more, mounds were scattered across the area at different levels of elevation, some near to their location and some far.

It would be amusing if it weren't for the fact that it was a deliberate choice made by a group of people who did not want anyone to know of this incident.

"How are we supposed to destroy the dome with those mounds separated so far away from each other?" Kuhaku questioned.

"You're too quick to throw in the towels Kuhaku. There's always more than one way to solve a puzzle."

After declaring as such, Heizou's Vision lighted up, and what accompanied was a small gust of wind surrounding him, before motioning into a kick. A ball of anemo energy solidified the moment Heizou's feet took off the ground, shooting it into the air.

The projectile flew into one of the many mounds situated in the area, but just as it was about to connect, it quickly swerved to the right, causing it to narrowly miss its target as it hit the nearby cliff..

"Looks like I'll need a bit more practice, considering the strong winds we're experiencing right now. Still, I think you get the idea right?" Heizou said, gesturing towards the location he just hit.

Kuhaku was the one who corrected him, "It hit, mister Heizou. I saw the mirror at the top get pushed down, which was what you were aiming for right?"

The Doushin stared at the Resistance member for a moment, only to give a friendly smirk moments later, "Correctly guessed, Kuhaku. I have to say, I didn't expect you to realize my other intention in that demonstration so easily."

There was a certain level of... gauging that came from Heizou. Whether or not Kuhaku realized it, he did not say as he simply responded to Heizou in a somewhat confident manner, "I'm not as observant as mister Kazuha, but my job includes a lot of looking at things in the distance, so my eyesight is pretty decent."

Kazuha nodded at the explanation, "Then I'll take your word for it. With a bit of finesse, we'll be done before we know it."

"Hey...why don't you just do the same thing like that guy before. Destroying the dome with your own Vision wouldn't be too different from how he did it right?" Kaji cut in.

Now that certainly was a question, one that Heizou happily explained, "Attempting the same thing as Goku? Perhaps it is possible for me to break it on my own, but I'm not much of a fan of brute-forcing it like he did. This is a much more complicated, yet interesting way of doing it."

Besides, Heizou suspected that the reason Goku succeeded in completely destroying the water dome was not just because the martial artist was utilizing his technique, but a combination of understanding and possessing the required power to neutralize the water from reforming back after being destroyed

"Fine, just don't complain to me when it fails," Kaji mumbled.

Though it was said in an annoyed tone, Heizou knew that there wasn't much bite to it as he gave off a playful smirk.

"If that happens, you have my full permission to rub it in my face."

Kazuha sheathed his sword skilfully as the sound of falling pieces of metal echoed throughout the tunnel he was in, until silence finally returned, with nothing but the noise of his lone footsteps accompanying it.

He had just finished off a few interesting...monsters so to speak, one of the mechanical kind. As to whether or not they were a threat, the scraps of metal behind him spoke for themselves.

It was nothing he couldn't handle, as he continued on his search for one of the missing components.

To think something like this existed underneath Yashiori Island. Not only that, it also escaped everyone's notice, even those that had lived here for all their lives.

He would be surprised, but he had already encountered similar situations in his own travels.

Kazuha stopped in his tracks upon reaching the end of the path, with flowing water pouring out from the wall.

What Kazuha found being drenched however, was a peculiar gem that was etched onto the floor, glowing erratically as it continually radiated small bursts of electro energy.

Having found his objective, Kazuha approached it slowly yet carefully as he extended his hand outward, before snatching it up quickly just as the energy was about to explode.

Fortunately, Kazuha was able to avoid the explosion just in time, as the spot that originally held the gem no longer emitted any sort of electro energy.

That did not mean he was unharmed however, owing it to the gem he currently held in his hand dispersing small bits of electro electric current.

Though the pain was noticeable, Kazuha had no time to relax, not only so that he would be able to deliver the item in question back to the group, but also to help Goku in his battle. While the martial artist had insisted that he was capable of fighting the consecrated beast by himself, that did not stop Kazuha from providing assistance if needed.

That, and he wanted to see Goku's combat prowess upfront.

Regardless of how it will go, he had something he wanted to entrust to Goku, believing that he might just be the one. The fight was more of a reassurance, if nothing else.

"I disagree with Goku, this is more strenuous than he implied," Kazuha said, looking at the stone in his hand.

"HAH!"

Goku let out a battle shout as his left fist connected with his opponent's own strike, neither of the two yielding from the confrontation as both tried to dominate the other with pure strength.

The resulting force created yet another small crater beneath them, adding one of many that had been made in the last few minutes.

Before, it was clear cut that his strength dwarfs that of the scorpion, but now it was actually matching him somewhat evenly in that department.

Goku had to admit, he underestimated the amount of strength the monster had gathered just because of the increased intensity of the black miasma. This was not even mentioning the random trails of electro energy firing at him from time to time that he had to look out for while fighting it in close combat.

Strengthened or not, there was still one aspect of battle the monster could not keep up with him in.

Speed.

As the beast swiped with its other claw, it was met with nothing but a blurred image of Goku sticking his tongue out.

Using its senses, the scorpion was able to locate Goku's new whereabouts, but it was too late as Goku had already positioned himself just below the scorpion's head.

With nothing but his right fist, Goku struck the consecrated beast in its abdomen, letting loose with everything he had as it was launched high up into the air, to the point that it reached the height of the top of Serpent's head.

No good.

Even putting all his strength in that blow, the layered aura protecting it was too thick for him to finish the job properly. Goku also doubted a fall from such a height would do it either.

The martial artist needed something less blunt like his fists, and something sharp...like a sword or something.

He had no time to dwell on what-ifs as he needed to follow up the attack with another one. Goku did so by launching himself into the air, catching up to the beast that was only now beginning to fall.

The scorpion, having rarely been air-borned even with its monstrous power, was predictably moving about restlessly.

As Goku was about to unleash another kick to slam it back onto the ground, something unexpected occurred, catching Goku completely off guard.

A sudden burst of electro energy discharged from its body, firing off towards every direction in a desperate move to harm the martial artist. Unable to do anything, Goku had no choice but to take it head on, the attack blasting him away from the beast as he fell back to the location he was just at.

Meanwhile, the resulting force propelled the scorpion onto the top of the head instead, giving it a softer descent in comparison to Goku.

Though he was hit by its lightning, Goku was able to maneuver himself back just fine as he landed back on the ground, both his feet firmly planted on the ground.

As he looked back up, he saw the violet light dimming ever so slightly, indicating that his opponent was exhausted after unleashing such an attack. With time to think, Goku thought it was best to plan his next attack.

His plan was immediately thrown away as someone else walked into the scene.

"It would seem your battle is not over yet."

Realizing it was a familiar voice, Goku gave a casual response, "Hey Kazuha, what are you doing here?"

"I've just completed my task, so I returned here to see if you require any assistance," Kazuha explained coolly, though Goku noticed that his body was poised for fighting.

"I can probably do it myself but the aura that thing has sure is annoying...hey Kazuha, how sharp is your sword?" Goku asked, an idea suddenly forming as he saw the blade in the young samurai's hand.

Displaying his sword for Goku to see, Kazuha then begun elaborating on it, "My sword is a common one, but I do take good care of it to ensure its sharpness is to my expectation. Are you perhaps in need of it?"

Goku folded both his arms across his chest as he gave an answer, "Yeah, it would be easier if you're the one to cut it down, compared to me hitting it over and over again."

Kazuha was the one to offer his help, but he would be lying if he wasn't expecting the opposite answer, "Here I thought you would reject my offer, given your previous insistence on fighting alone."

"Sure, but fighting a wild animal ain't really that fun compared to fighting real people. Plus, I already got what I wanted from this fight, so I just wanna have a meal now."

Kazuha did not understand what Goku meant by that last statement, but nodded nonetheless.

"Then you have my blade. What is our course of action?"

"I'll get back up there and throw it back down to you, so you just gotta get ready to hit it with everything you got, Kazuha. I bet it's resting right now because it spent so much energy fighting me," Goku explained.

A simple, yet effective method.

It suited the martial artist, Kazuha believed.

"Oh yeah, don't worry about getting hit by the lightning, I got a way to remove them for ya...hmm, Kazuha, you mind having me hold that thing for you?"

What Goku was referring to was the gem in his hand, where tiny sparks were still flying off even now.

Kazuha found his request odd, "Is there a specific reason for it?"

"Yup, it's gonna help me with testing something out."

Right after a detailed explanation was only followed by one that had none at all. Despite that, Kazuha found himself not bothered by this particular fact.

"Very well, though I advise caution, for we have no more than one needed to fix the ward," Kazuha said as he handed it to Goku.

Goku gave him a confident nod, "It'll be fine, trust me. Alright then, now that we got everything let's end this!"

The martial artist then got right back into it as he soared upwards, leaving Kazuha by himself who had started his preparations, both his eyes closed as he now focused all his senses on his surroundings, sensing even the smallest of movements while waiting for the decisive moment.

"If my prediction is correct, then there is only one thing to do. Kaji, would you do the honors?" Heizou asked politely.

"No thanks. Who knows what would happen if I do that," Kaji remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Suit yourself, I just thought you might have been bored with all this waiting around," Heizou said, giving a half-hearted shrug before standing just a step beside the mound.

With a quick left hook, causing the pillar to activate, indicated by its glow as it spat out a ball of electro energy towards the other mounds in the area.

As the electro ball gets reflected by one of the mirrors, not only was its trajectory changed, but its velocity as well. This process repeated itself several times, until the electro ball was finally in a direct course towards the water dome.

Unlike its initial speed, the one it was currently traveling at was several times faster, to the point that not even after one second after it had been reflected by the mirror, the projectile had already reached its final destination.

Upon coming into contact with the hydro dome, sparks flew wildly as the water quickly got chipped away by the force of the projectile, with the electro ball lingering at the surface area for only but a moment...

Then, it all dispersed, both the electro ball and the hydro dome.

What was revealed within the former water dome was a small hill, and what floated atop of it was a violet orb.

There was no mistaking that what they now saw was what they had been after.

"And there we have it. I say it's a job well done, don't you think gentlemen?" Heizou said as his usual confident smirk returned.

"Fine, I'll admit that your way of doing things did the job, but only this time," Kaji said begrudgingly, though he was inwardly relieved that everything went smoothly.

"Now we just nab it and see if Goku and Kazuha are done with their part."

If he was right, then those two should be wrapping things up on their end.

"Uh, how exactly are we gonna get down there, and then back up quick enough without hurting ourselves?" Kuhaku questioned, but no answer came as the other two did not give a response.

Upon reaching the top of Serpent's head, Goku was greeted by the sight of an unmoving giant scorpion.

One would assume that it had already perished from the overuse of its electro energy, but Goku thought otherwise as it was betrayed by its twitching legs, indicating that it was merely taking a rest.

Let's change that shall we?

The moment Goku took a step forward, the huge monster got back up upon sensing his presence, coating its body with electro energy, as well as the thick yet dark miasma accompanying it.

This in no way deterred Goku, who simply rushed forward.

Instead of attacking him from afar like before, the beast instead readied its claw as well as its tail, ready to strike the moment he got close.

Frankly, Goku thought it was a mistake.

What it should have done was continually barrage him with those electro stingers, given the fact that he was standing on a small area, meaning less space for him to move around. If it did that, then it would have a much better chance of actually hitting him.

Having hunted many animals in the past, Goku knew how they behaved on a fundamental level. It may have learnt from their earlier battle, but the monster was unable to understand why the circumstances now were different compared to before, and it will bring about its downfall.

It wasn't that animals couldn't adapt, it was simply that their thought patterns were far too simple to ever be considered as troublesome in a battle.

Once one got accustomed to a beast's way of thinking, then they were far less dangerous than they appeared to be, even if their strength was in abundance.

Neither jumping nor dodging to the side, Goku skidded off the ground, sliding right under it as he dodged the swiping claws as well as the tail that had stabbed itself into the ground, just missing its target.

Once Goku positioned himself behind the consecrated beast, there was only one course of action that needed to be done.

The martial artist leapt lightly before releasing a fierce roundhouse kick onto his opponent, the blow so strong that it was able to push the beast forward until it had no ground to stand on as it finally fell off Serpent's Head.

Of course, the beast did not take this lying down as it tried to cling towards any sort of foothold by stabbing its tail into one of Orobashi's Fangs...

Only for it to bounce off due to the fang's unexpected toughness, hastening its descent even faster.

Goku was just about to intervene by himself if the monster somehow stopped its fall, but it thankfully wasn't able to in the end after seeing what occurred earlier. Satisfied that the plan was going as expected, there was only one thing left for him to do.

Kazuha grabbed ahold of the handle of his sword tightly, having sensed the sudden shift of movement in the air.

Time passed as he saw nothing but darkness, but was able to identify his surroundings regardless due to the scent of the rain and the noise of his surroundings.

One...two...three...

It was only then and there that Kaedahara Kazuha opened both his eyes once more, as he leapt into the air, blade at the ready.

What he was greeted by was the sight of the consecrated beast, wiggling about helplessly despite its monstrous size, which gave Kazuha the perfect window to strike it down.

Realizing the precarious position it was in, the monster began gathering a high concentration of electro energy around its body, looking as if it were about to detonate on anything or anyone that dared approach it.

Kazuha was about to power through the attack as he knew a chance like this would not come easily, but quickly realized there was no need to when he saw the electro energy weakened considerably as it continued to fall.

No, that was not the right term...it was more so that it was being attracted by something else as electric current flowed upward to one specific individual in particular.

At the top of Serpent's Head stood Son Goku, with both his hands firmly clasped together. What was surprising to Kazuha was not his stance, but the fact that there was lightning dancing around the palm of his hands, one that the martial artist was in control of.

If one were to take a closer look, they would also be able to see a familiar gem placed right between the palm of his hands, emanating small bursts of electro energy among the flashes of lightning that was surrounding both of Goku's hands.

What's more, Goku's technique seemed to be absorbing the electro energy from the consecrated beast, effectively weakening it to the point that the thick aura that once protected it had become nothing but thin paper.

Strangely, even the intensity of the miasma had lessened. The reason was unknown to him, but Kazuha would not dwell on such a fortunate turn of event

Wind surrounded his blade as he began to unsheathe his sword, the pull of the wind so strong that it had swayed the scorpion to falled towards him with little to no resistance.

Once it was within range, the still struggling scorpion swung its tail wildly, its survival instinct kicking in as it knew that it had been corned.

Unfortunately for Kazuha, he could not have a clean hit against the giant scorpion due to the current circumstance, with its tail flailing about in a wild manner.

He will make do, regardless.

The first slash.

The scorpion hissed in pain upon losing its tail, for it had been severed and cut cleanly by Kazuha's blade, so much so that the separated tail was flung upwards instead of following the monster's descent.

The young samurai was not done however, for there was more to come.

Anemo energy surged as Kazuha swung his blade once more, this time aiming at the monster's abdomen.

The second slash.

It hissed in pain as his blade cut through its flesh, yet it did not mark the end of the consecrated beast, for Kazuha felt the wound he had just inflicted was not deep enough to end it entirely.

Knowing that it was not over, the best thing he could do now was to reposition himself for another attack, and he already had a location in mind.

As wind swirled around him, Kazuha proceeded to stab his blade into the monster's head, before gusts of wind blew out of the tip of the sword, elevating himself higher than the consecrated beast.

With a loud thud, the beast was sent slamming to the ground while Kazuha was aiming his blade at the correct angle just as he was about to fall.

Despite the damage it had received thus far, the beast was still able to move about despite the difficulty it was in doing so, presumably to escape his next attack.

It wasn't impossible to hit a moving target from this height, but it was no guarantee either with his limited maneuverability in the air.

Just as he considered changing his plans, a certain someone was determined to ensure that he stuck with it.

"Kazuha!"

The ever booming voice alerted him of Goku's presence as the martial artist descended from above, joining him in the air.

Kazuha did not understand Goku's intention at first, but it did not take long for realization to set in the moment the martial artist kicked the severed tail towards the scorpion, its stinger at the forefront of the fall.

Right after the beast moved a few steps forward, it was suddenly rendered immobile as the tail end of its body was nailed by its former tail, firmly holding it in place as it struggled to escape.

Kazuha silently thanked Goku as he readied his blade, his vision lit up for the last time in this battle as the wind slowly gathered around him. That was not all, as not only was the intensity of the wind increased, but Kazuha's action also swirled a portion of electro energy emanating from Goku's person towards his direction.

With his blade now dyed in a thin layer of deep violet, Kazuha steadied his breathing as he prepared for the final attack.

Then, he plunged downwards.

It was like lightning itself had descended from above, and as the blade struck the giant scorpion in its heart, the combined force of the wind, as well as the scattering of the electro energy blanketed the land for briefest of moments.

The aftermath was apparent, as the once desperate sound of a creature wanting to live remained no longer, its life extinguished for it was far too dangerous to be left alive. It was only when the scorpion became absolutely still, did Kazuha remove his blade from the body.

"Now that that's done, how about we go back to the others so we can all have a meal? I don't know about you Kazuha, but I'm starving right now," Goku commented as he landed just beside the monster's corpse.

To make his point, Goku's stomach growled at a sound level that the young samurai did not think was possible.

"Yes, though it might be a bit difficult to hunt given the current weather. We also have to fix the ward before anything else," Kazuha said reasonably.

"I get fixing the ward, but why would we need to hunt?" Goku questioned innocently.

It took only but a second for Kazuha to comprehend what Goku meant, noticing that the martial artist was staring at the corpse of the felled beast, very hungrily at that.

Kazuha...did not know how to respond to that.

Instead, he chose to observe Goku's appearance...more specifically, he was observing the gem that had been shaking about unsteadily, as if lightning itself was about to burst forth from within.

Noticing Kazuha's line of sight, Goku let out a laugh, "Ehehe, looks like it got stronger after absorbing both my technique and the energy from that monster."

"About that...may I know how you figured out the technique you employed would work as expected?"

"Easy, it's how I'm going to beat Raiden's technique," Goku declared simply, grinning from ear to ear.

Kazuha's eyes widened in surprise, for that was certainly not the answer he was expecting.

After uttering such a statement, did Goku suddenly remembered a small little detail, "Wait, if this thing has so much energy right now...doesn't that mean—"

Not one second had even passed since Goku uttered that question, did the weather itself answer in the form of a lightning bolt heading straight towards him.

Two individuals stood silently as they faced one another, not a single word exchanged between them as both wore grim expressions upon their faces.

It wasn't until one of them began to speak did their expression change to one of anger and disbelief, "Masanori, after everything we went through, even after exchanging an oath to be brothers in all but blood, you would betray me now?"

The other man shook his head, denying his friend's claim, "I'm not betraying you Kenji, I'm doing what's right! After knowing what the Shogunate has done to the people, I know I'm fighting for the wrong side...and I know deep down, you feel the same thing."

The man swiped his arm, denying such a claim, "Nonsense, we are a part of the Shogun's Army, and what our Almighty Shogun decrees we must follow to our very end...but it seems you have forgotten that, traitor."

"I refuse to be a part of the Shogunate any longer."

At his response, Kenji had only one thing in his mind, "Then I will cut you down right now, right here!'

"And I'll ensure that does not become reality, for both of our sakes," Masanori returned back, preparing his weapon.

Only the clanging sounds of metal could be heard afterwards, and would only be silenced once one among the two emerged victorious.

Chapter Text

"So that is the conclusion you have arrived at," Kazuha remarked, having just received the new piece of information that Heizou and the others had gathered upon their recovery of one of the missing components.

After returning the stone lantern back to its original state, all of them agreed to take a rest given the recent development, thus the need for a discussion on what they had discovered up until this point was brought up.

Seeing that the downpour was still looming over them, Kazuha suggested the tunnel that he traversed earlier as a location for respite, which they easily agreed to.

At the moment, all of them were sitting around a makeshift campfire he had made, one that was strong enough to warm them up from cold air blowing from the outside.

"Don't misunderstand, though the proof of their involvement has been ascertained, I still haven't quite figured out who conceived this plan, though given the information we have at hand, this Nathan is our prime suspect."

Kazuha knew the Doushin was talking about a very selected group that was the cause of the release of the Tatarigami, something he had been unaware of given most of his stay here had been at the battlefield rather than at camp.

"Indeed, and try as I might, I have no recollection of meeting such a person in all my time in the Resistance."

Certainly, one could attribute it to the fact that Kazuha was technically an outsider helping from time to time, which makes it all the more reasonable that he would not know everyone in the Resistance, but the young samurai was certain he would have at least remember such a name if he ever heard of it, seeing that a name like Nathan was usually given to those who originated from Mondstadt.

"All that tells me is that the person we're trying to catch is quite good at blending in the crowds if he was able to escape your notice."

Kazuha agreed with the assessment, his eyes travelling from the center of the fire to a certain martial artist.

Said individual was letting out a peculiar sound, and given the chance, anyone observing the scene would have reasoned that they were chewing noises. The only reason that it was not a certainty was due to the intensity and the sheer voraciousness that was displayed right before their eyes.

Right around the fireplace were multiple skewers stabbed into the ground, each one holding what seemed to be parts of an animal.

It was meat, one that belonged to the enormous scorpion that Kazuha and Goku had just fought.

After swallowing another piece of meat into his stomach, Goku noticed that they were staring at him in silence, causing him to stop in his quest to completely consume everything in front of him.

"You guys sure you don't wanna any?" Goku asked, picking one of the meat skewers off the ground before presenting it to them.

Kaji gave an unamused look, "You do know that you're eating meat that has been contaminated by the Tatarigami right? That's not even mentioning what kind of poison a creature of that size contains."

"If it's anything like a normal scorpion, then there ain't anything to worry about...now that you mention it, I guess there is something a little different about the taste," Goku added, his continued eating undeterred despite the potential problem his stomach will experience later on.

With the way Goku reacted, it was clear to everyone here that a meal with such an ambiguous origin was something he was already accustomed to, notwithstanding the unnaturally huge portions of meat. The smell of charred flesh did not help with the imagery either, courtesy of the young martial artist being hit by yet another lightning bolt right after the battle.

None of them knew quite what to say when Kazuha relayed that last detail to the others earlier.

Still, what the miner said was right, though it was an assumption, it was one that all of them readily agreed on, which was—

The darkened aura that surrounded the beast was most certainly because of the Tataragami.

There was just simply no other explanation to it. Despite their journey in restoring the stone lanterns back to its original state, it would seem the curse would run rampant until it was completely sealed.

There was a particular question they had in their mind.

If even a beast easily succumbed to the curse, then wouldn't other living beings be affected too?

Worse yet, there was no guarantee that those who were affected would recover either.

It was troubling, to say the least.

"Still, I didn't think anything so big was hiding on this island either," Kuhaku chimed in.

Kaji let out a tired sigh, "You aren't the only one, today's just been a whirlwind of surprises for me...and I've been here for as long as I can remember. Just how on all of Inazuma did that thing pop up out of nowhere, it couldn't be because of the Tatarigami."

"While the interest in a scorpion that size is understandable, I believe it's best to leave that to researchers—" Heizou stopped, taking a glance at a certain someone still gouging out the food, "—of which I doubt they would have the resources for considering Goku here already deprived them of the chance."

Goku let out an unapologetic smile at the comment, as he continued with his meal, another skewer already laid empty because of his unceasing appetite.

It was only minutes later that Goku finished off the rest of the meal that a question popped up in his mind.

"Hmm, I wonder how Itto is doing right now?"

Heizou was the one who answered, "Knowing who they are going to face, I'm sure Itto has more than one conflicting thoughts on the matter considering his heritage."

Goku blinked at the last term, "His what?"

"He's an oni, if you can recall the horns, and the one he is about to meet is another youkai just like himself. This is not even taking into account the personal history between the two of them, though the specific details are something I am not privy to," Heizou explained.

"He is!? I thought it was normal that he had horns, kinda like me having a tail," Goku remarked offhandedly at the last part.

"You had a tail? I really don't see it anywhere," Kaji asked incredulously as he looked behind the martial artist.

"Yup, but then my current mentor cut it off saying that it would hinder my training so I don't think I'm ever seeing it again."

What should have been a cruel description of losing one's appendage turned to be one of mundanity due to how casually Goku was treating the matter.

If Goku treated it as a simple issue, then so too would the young samurai as he addressed something that caught his attention from Heizou's statement.

"Heizou, this other youkai you are referring to...is Kujou Sara correct?"

Kazuha already knew the answer to such a question, but there were no downsides in asking just to be sure, which also served to inform the others as well.

"Naturally. Who else would immediately head out to the frontlines the moment she heard the Shogun's Army was facing difficulty? A very select few, and one of them just happens to be my boss as well."

"Ooh, does this mean she's strong?" Goku couldn't help but inquire. his curiosity peaked at the tidbit of information.

Heizou was amused, judging by his reaction, "I don't know how to define strength to someone like you Goku, but I can most assuredly say that in a sparring match, she would outmatch me more times than not."

"Really? Does she have a lot of techniques then?" Goku asked, his interest increasing as the seconds passed by.

"I can't blurt out more. Remember, I'm not technically on the Resistance's side. If you want more info, then there's someone here who knows her more in terms of combat...isn't that right, Kazuha?"

He supposed that specific detail was not particularly hidden, considering his friend was the one who fought her right before the Shogun's throne.

And he was the one who arrived at the scene right after too.

That's not even mentioning the times he had seen her on the battlefield, though he himself had never confronted her directly as that was more or less Gorou's role than it was his.

Kazuha saw few reasons to disagree, seeing the expectant look Goku was giving him.

"She is a general of the Tenryou Commission and the main enforcer of the Vision Hunt Decree. As for her skills on the battlefield..."

Kujou Sara's purpose was to carry out the will of the Raiden Shogun.

It was why she was so active in confiscating Visions from those who possessed them in Inazuma.

It was why she hurried over to the ongoing civil war the moment the tides were shifting against the side of the Shogunate.

It was also why she was currently in battle with a Vision wielder, her blade constantly at war with her opponent's spear.

The area they were fighting on was at Nazuchi Beach, where progress of their battle was indicated by the increasing number of footprints they had left on the soft sands…amongst the many others who were experiencing the same thing.

Her opponent was a member of the Resistance, donning the usual uniform that came with it, his appearance were as common as the soldiers that she had fought before, except with one difference...the Cryo Vision that hung on his person.

Not only that, if his commands before battle were anything to go by, then there was no doubt in her mind that he was the leader among this opposing group.

Needless to say, Sara had commanded her subordinates into battle in response, with her leading the charge head on. Despite the many efforts that the opposing force had employed, none of them were able to even so much as hit her amongst the chaos.

This lasted for a while...until someone attempted a surprised attack upon her; an intentional attack amidst the disorderly nature of the battlefield.

She was able to foresee it coming, parrying the attack with nothing but her blade. Upon doing so, she was immediately greeted by another strike coming from the same individual.

Despite the strength of each attack coming from her opponent, she was nevertheless able to flawlessly parry every one of them.

This exchange went on, with her at the defensive while the leader of the group at the offensive. However, their state of mind was at complete opposites, for she noticed his expression worsened, straining every so slightly with each exchange, until it became one which she could describe as frustration.

Fed up with little to no progress in the fight, the man sought for another way to break through Sara's defense as he began to spin his spear in a circular motion, before thrusting it forward.

What accompanied this course of action was the brightening glow of his Vision, causing the tip of his spear to leave a trail of ice. Yet, judging from the trajectory of his strike, he was not aiming for her weapon, rather a characteristic that was unique only to her in all of Inazuma.

Her wings, which was a trait that a tengu such as her possessed.

Clearly, it was a strategy to not only harm her, but to limit her mobility by freezing them in place, and consequently, further burdening her with the sudden increase in weight.

It would be particularly effective given the ongoing rain making her wings easily susceptible to being frozen right on the spot.

Unfortunately for the Resistance member, this proved to a costly mistake, as the general of the Tenryou Commission had already prepared a counter for such a tactic.

As the tip of the spear moved ever closer to its intended target, Sara unfurled out all four of her wings simultaneously. Wind stirred from such an action as it blew towards the Resistance member, so much so that the shift in the nearby air was enough to force him into a defensive stance instead of the offense he was initiating.

That wasn't all, as the trail of cryo energy was thrown backwards due to the force of the wind, with it colliding onto her opponent's face.

Due to his inner resistance to cryo, the Resistance member wasn't quite affected by the sudden coldness upon the surface of his cheeks. However, the momentary confusion was an opportunity that Sara would not waste, as she quickly unleashed an attack, slashing him cleanly across the chest.

"Ghhk!" the man uttered painfully, his right knee now placed on the ground, deprived of his weapon after withstanding such an attack.

Realizing the unfavourable position he was in, the man turned to face the general once more, his determination persisted even now...

Only for it to stop the moment the tip of a blade was pointed at his throat.

"Yield, and cease this meaningless resistance," Sara said coolly.

The man sneered, "I'll never yield, not to you Shogunate scums who would take the lives of my comrades so brazenly. As long as the Vision Hunt Decree continues to stand, then I too shall do the same! It's the least I could do for those that has lost their lives."

All around them lay the many bodies of the members of the Resistance, some simply knocked unconscious and some that had already passed on to the next life.

She could not deny that. though she had always been principled with her methods of collecting Visions during the Vision Hunt Decree, in that she would find the path that would lead to the least resistance, there were almost always complications.

Sara had collected many Visions over the course of six months, from those that were hesitant but were on the precipice of changing their minds, some that willingly gave it up and those that simply did not understand the reasoning for such an action.

The Resistance, on the other hand, chose the path that would oppose the will of the Shogun herself.

Hence, the Shogun's army was deployed to deal with them, and she herself had found it to be an effective course of action ever since she stepped forward into the battlefield for the first time.

Though she was a general, the battlefield was a completely different story to simple skirmishes, where she would be unable to be in full control of the situation due to the numerous factors that came with it.

She was careful enough not to let any of her attacks end her opponents, for she had full awareness of her own strength as a warrior, but the same could not be said for her subordinates.

Still, it was all in the pursuit of Eternity.

But, was it truly for the best?

Sara had deliberated on this question every time, but each time she dwelled more and more on it, a definite answer never came, no matter how strongly she wanted it to. Even when she knew that the Shogun most assuredly knew what was best, there was still lingering hesitation existing in her heart.

...which was exactly why she had ignored by simply following the Shogun's order. There was no need for other distractions as her loyalty to the Electro Archon took precedence over any other thought she had on the matter. As long as the Shogun willed it, then she would follow it to the very end, all for the eternity that the Shogun seeked.

"This won't go as you expect it to," Sara replied, a sense of finality in her voice.

At the statement, the Resistance member's spirit intensified, "Then I'll just prove you wrong, I'll sooner die before giving up!"

Instead of reaching for his weapon, the man went for another option, by rushing towards her with no nothing in-hand...except for his bare fists.

A mist of ice gathered at his fingertips as he outstretched them towards her, his intent clear as they could be.

What a shame.

She carefully weaved through the attack before striking her opponent from the back, thus taking out her opponent.

As the man fell down, the Vision he held before bouncing off from his person and into Sara's possession as she caught it mid-air.

With one single exchange, it ended just like that.

Fortunately, she had only hit him with the blunt side of the sword, so his life shouldn't be in any sort of danger. She could not say the same for the other participants on the battlefield however, for there was nothing to be done for those who were already gone.

As she stared at the Vision that was now placed in her hands, as one of her subordinates ran up to her with hurried steps.

"General. We report that the enemy have been mostly subdued, but some rebels are still showing signs of resistance. Should we make a demonstration out of one of them to keep the others in line?" the man asked, his eyes staring at her now fallen opponent.

What was implied did not sit well with her, but she bottled those thoughts away as she gave her next order, "No, it would only serve to embolden their spirits. Instead, press the advantages that we have and subdue them, do not do more than what is needed. Do I make myself clear? "

"Yes General!" The men replied, receiving her order before running off to relay the message.

Her eyes lingered around the battlefield, or what was left of it as it indeed looked to be the end of this encounter.

She remained vigilant however, as the possibility of reinforcement from the Resistance's side was by no chance small, and letting one's guard down after a victory was a mistake that many warriors have done in the past, even those that would be considered as experts in the field of combat.

The general of Tenryou Commission observed her surroundings carefully, scrutinizing every little detail. Barring the battles that were still occurring in the area, she did not notice anything particularly out of place.

That was...until she noticed something in the distance, specifically one of the shrubs that were situated at the edge of Nazuchi Beach, the ground beneath them being the transition between the soft sands to the area filled with wild grass.

Picking up one of the bows that were scattered about, alongside an arrow that was planted into the ground, she then stood in position, her stance at the ready.

With her left hand tightly holding up the grip at eye level, while her right hand pulling the string towards her face, bringing the arrow along with it.

Her concentration steadied, it did not take more than a single glance on her target before letting loose of the string, causing the arrow to fly off.

The arrow immediately disappeared from her sight afterwards, but she knew that it hit its intended mark smoothly as she turned around, now walking towards the remnants of the battlefield.

In truth, Sara knew that her arrow did not connect with anything beside an empty space, but hitting the unknown observer was never her intention.

After all, its only purpose was to be a warning shot. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Itto stared at the arrow that flew past him only a moment ago, where the tip of the arrow was embedded firmly into the ground, with cracks forming at the site of impact.

"The tengu missed?" Itto questioned, as if he himself did not believe what had just occurred.

Gorou's eyes were still trained on the figure of Kujou Sara, "She did not. If anything, that was a warning shot."

Having fought her head on several times now, Gorou knew that her skill with the bow was nothing short of exceptional, so her missing an unmoving target was outright impossible.

"Yeah, that makes sense. She's so annoyingly good at everything it would be weird if it didn't hit where she wanted to."

As his eyes traveled from the arrow's spot to Gorou, he noticed something off about the young general.

"Gorou, my man... you alright?" Itto asked, concerned.

The individual in question paused at the question, until a sigh eventually escaped his breath as he gave a reply, "Truthfully, I'm not. My comrades have lost and there is nothing I can do about it."

Sure, Gorou could rush out and fight them head on, but having just experienced the consequences of doing such a thing landed him in being entrapped, requiring her Excellency and the others to bail him out.

Only, this time he did not think he would be as lucky, knowing that the general of the Tenryou Commission was present in the battlefield, an opponent he could not afford to underestimate, because even at his best condition, Gorou was unsure a battle between the two of them would result in his favour.

That was because it had never occurred yet.

Each time they fought, Gorou was only able to scrap by with help from his comrades, but even with such assistance, he was never truly able to force her into a vulnerable position, not even once...

Which was why the moment Kujou Sara's back was turned towards him, his senses screamed at him to take a shot as his eyes followed the movement of her wings, goading him even more to shoot her from this position, for he knew they were the perfect target for his arrows.

Yet, Gorou did not, for he knew it would no doubt fail.

It was infuriating watching not just his comrades being dragged away by the Shogun's Army, but also the several bodies that laid on Nazuchi Beach, unmoving. Still, the best thing for Gorou to do was nothing, and the idea itself genuinely angered him to think so.

Itto however, was having no such thoughts.

Sure, it was saddening to see people's lives being thrown away like this, as it was something he never really thought about much because it never invaded any parts of his daily life. However…

What got him more emotionally distraught was one Kujou Sara.

Simply put, her current behaviour annoyed Itto to no end, in a way that the oni could not describe.

On the surface, any common observer would think that the tengu was acting normally, what with barking orders and appearing stoic yet professional in everything she did.

But he knew what was up.

There was a slight pause when she was talking to the other guy from the Tenryou Commission, something that he never thought would ever happen with her.

It was miniscule, heck even he had disregarded those hints at first, but after recalling the entire fight that had just transpired in conjunction with the conversation just now, there was now no doubt in his eyes that...

She was conflicted.

Itto did not like seeing the tengu in such an annoying state, let alone stand it. That was because for as long as he knew her, all he had ever seen was her unflinching nature and resolute eyes. This stayed true even in his last encounter with her, which was when his Vision was confiscated by her due to the enforcement of the Vision Hunt Decree.

Comparing it to then and now, Itto could tell something was off. Sure, it was subtle...but it was evidently there.

He was only able to see through her mask because he had always paid attention to her actions ever, not because they were friends or anything like that, but because he considered her his rival, so he had to do so in order for the inevitable battle that they would have.

It was why he tried so many methods to goad her into agreeing with his challenges. Admittedly, none of them had ever worked since she always refused them. However, each failure made him understand her core bit by bit, though he would never in his lifetime admit it aloud.

This was why as her self-proclaimed rival, he refused to stand down and allowed this farce to continue on.

Just as the oni was about to rush out into the open, intending to confront the tengu about his annoyance, he was stopped by a strong grip on his right shoulder.

"I don't know what you're thinking about right now, but now's not the time," Gorou warned.

The oni was about to brush off Gorou in irritation for trying to stop him, but as his eyes laid on the young general, he noticed Gorou's right hand balling into a fist, shaking angrily. What was more attention-grabbing was the blood dripping out of it, as though it was taking Gorou everything in his mental strength to not lose control of himself, yet the young general was the one trying to calm him down.

Right, he wasn't the only one who was affected by whatever this was in front of them.

Itto was reminded of a scene that the two of them stumbled upon their journey from the camp to Nazuchi Beach.

It was still vivid in his mind, seeing the body of the messenger from earlier back at the camp laying on the ground with a streak of blood covering the top of the body.

He and Gorou didn't even need to take a closer look at the body to know it was too late, so this scene before them would obviously agitate Gorou even more. It was made worse with the fact that the young general could do nothing but silently accept the outcome before his eyes.

Itto imagined what if the same things were to happen to any of the members in the Arataki Gang, but the immediate thought he had was sadness...

Followed by unrelenting fury at whoever did such a thing.

The line of thought did not completely put out his temper, but it did assuage them a bit, as he let out a sigh, "Fine, then what am I supposed to do?"

"There is nothing to do except to observe from this position, just in case the Shogun's Army decides to mobilize and march towards our base of operations."

Gorou doubted that such a thing would occur, as it didn't fit Kujou Sara's way of commanding the Shogun's Army, but it was better safe than sorry.

Desiring to change the topic, he began to whisper, "Hey Gorou, do you think it was a bit weird that the messenger guy was attacked when we were running to this place?"

While tangentially unrelated, Gorou did not pay less attention to Itto's words. Rather, after hearing them his eyes widened in realization, as the oni had given a point he had never considered. Due to his initial shock of the circumstances at the time, he did not have much time to ponder about it for long, yet what Itto said was true.

If the fighting took place at Nazuchi Beach, then how was the messenger attacked before he arrived at the supposed destination?

"Now that you mentioned it..."

"Just leave it to me, my man," Itto said confidently as he puffed out his chest.

To say Gorou was surprised would be an understatement, "You?"

"Yeah, I've got just the expert who can find out what happened," Itto said knowingly.

The expert he was talking about was more so an exorcist than anything else, but Itto felt like if anyone was going to figure what happened with the messenger, then it would be his sidekick.

Gorou did not give an immediate response, for he needed a moment to think, "You seemed determined, but I can't see why considering your stance on the war."

Itto could see what angle Gorou was going for, which was why there was only one reasonable answer, "Well, it's not like I'm joining your group or anything, but I just need something to distract myself right now."

Perhaps using a person's death as an excuse for his own benefit was despicable, but if he continued to stay here with his rival still persisting in his field of sight, then something uncontrollably worse might happen.

At the very least, he wouldn't do that to Gorou, seeing that the guy was already feeling distressed with how things went.

"...I have to apologize Itto, for I have pegged you wrong when we first met," Gorou said softly.

"Don't know what that means, but save your thanks for when detective Itto solves this case for you."

Having said his piece, Itto retraced his steps as he went to find the body of the messenger, leaving Gorou to his own devices.

The general of the Resistance was inwardly thankful to the oni, as Gorou sincerely needed this moment for himself, his mind steeled at the aftermath of the battle, wondering what he could have done to prevent this all from happening...and his inability to help even when it's right in front of him.

He hated this feeling in the past, he loathed it even more now.

Masanori let out a strained breath as he leaned on the rock wall of a cliff, trying to catch a break from the constant running he had been doing for the past hour, which involved dragging his injured body across a shallow body of water in order to hide himself better from his pursuer.

He had failed.

In his attempt to sway his friend Kenji to come with him to the Resistance, it had only stirred Kenji to vehemently disagree with his reasoning, forcing them to come to blows.

That wasn't all however.

During their duel a black miasma suddenly engulfed Kenji, empowering him immensely to the point that the gap in skill between the two instantly disappeared.

In fact, he was the one who was overpowered each and every time their blades clashed with one another. As a result, It did not take long before he received substantial damage from the battle, which immediately tipped the battle against his favour the longer it went on.

And now, here he was...his shoulder dislocated, a cut wound across his back, and with nothing to show for it.

Despite his plea to his friend, Kenji had ignored all of them by relentlessly attacking with eyes that would haunt Masanori in his dreams. He…just couldn't believe that this was the same man that he grew up with, so the only plausible explanation was that the strange aura was influencing him somehow.

It doesn't matter. Looking at the severity of his wound, it was only a matter of time until he bled out, whether Kenji found him or not.

Still, the deepest regret he had was being unable to save his best friend from whatever that thing was.

"Attaboy Ushi! Looks like we found our suspect, but looking at how roughed up he is, I ain't sure he's the one who—"

Masanori did not get to hear the last part of the individual's sentence, for his consciousness slipped before he was able to regain it. Painfully lifting his head up, he saw his sudden visitor, who appeared to be a young man, and accompanying him by his legs was...a small cow, or was it a bull?

He must have been hallucinating due to the sudden blood loss, so he ignored the imaginary animal as he looked at the person instead.

"Hey there buddy...you look like you need some help there," Itto asked, taking a step forward to check up on his condition.

Masanori quickly panicked upon noticing the oni approaching, "No! You need to leave!"

"Wow, look...I just wanna help. Ushi and I weren't expecting to find someone out here after doing our awesome detective investigation, so a little gratitude would be nice since I'm doing this for free," Itto explained as he raised both his arms up.

"You don't understand, there's a samurai here just like me wandering nearby, and I doubt he would let you go once he lays eyes on you."

Normally, Masanori believed in his friend's kindness, even if Kenji was always rough around the edges, but with the current state his friend was in, he feared for the worst knowing what harm would be brought down upon this random passerby.

Itto thought about it as he rubbed his chin, and after doing so, took a quick glance at Ushi for his sidekick's opinion as well, whose only response was to give him a dry look in return, which gave the oni all the answer he needed.

"...and I'm betting he's the one who did this to you, right?"

"H-he is...a friend of mine, and we had a disagreement of sorts," Masanori replied, struggling to put his thoughts into words due to the excruciating pain.

Itto did not look satisfied by the answer, "Even if you were arguing, ain't no way it should have turned out this bad."

"I don't know how to describe it, but one moment we were evenly matched, then the next he was consumed by this aura of darkness, and as a result, I was completely defeated. I was able to lead him to this place, away from the current battle between the Shogun's Army and the Resistance. Please, you need to run before he finds me. "

Despite Masanori's best intentions, an incident had already occurred, though Itto wouldn't be the one delivering that news as he had other things he wanted to emphasize to the injured samurai.

"Shut up."

This immediately took Masanori by surprise, his attention now turned to the oni who was staring at him with clear irritation.

"I'm Arataki 'Numero' Itto. That means I don't take anyone's order, even if they are almost dying at my feet. Right now, I think you need my help more than me needing your advice, so you can just shove it and let me help you."

Masanori did not know how to respond to Itto's forcefulness, but it did not matter as their conversation was interrupted by an intruder arriving at the scene.

"MAsSaNoRRRRiIII!"

Startled, the two looked upwards for the source of the yell, and upon doing so, saw a lone man descending upon them by jumping from atop of the cliff.

Water splashed around as the man landed menacingly, his eyes then trained solely on one individual; Masanori.

His target on sight, Kenji immediately rushed towards the injured man with reckless abandon, disregarding anything or anyone except Masanori. It was harrowing just seeing his friend with such fury and hate in his eyes, even more so than the many close calls he had fighting the Resistance members at the battlefield.

Masanori braced himself for the worst once he closed both eyes, accepting whatever fate had decided for him.

Due to an unexpected turn of events, Masanori felt not the cold hard steel piercing through his flesh, instead he heard something else...prompting him to open his eyes once more.

Right in front of him, Itto stood defiantly in the face of Kenji's aggression, with his right arm at the forefront, halting the blade's original path.

Itto did not flinch even when the sword seeped a bit closer into his arm, as all he focused on was the intruder who had so much tunnel-vision that they did not even notice the oni's presence.

Well, Itto just had to correct that now, wouldn't he?

"Oi, this isn't the kinda thing you should be doing to your bud, don't you think?" Itto chastised harshly, his eyes flat out glaring at the man.

He had to admit, it wasn't everyday that his skin would be cut open so easily, even if it was a minor one. Regardless, he wasn't an oni for nothing, as he began to push back the attack ever so slightly.

It took a brief instance before Kenji realized there was someone standing in his way, "As if you understand!? He betrayed my trust, and for that I'll have his head!"

Masanori flinched at the statement, as he couldn't believe what he was hearing his friend speak with...such vitriol. Even with the knowledge that his friend was in a state of disarray, he could deny that it hurt him more than any weapon ever had.

"If all it takes to set you off is just someone disagreeing with you, then you need to get your head straight!"

Itto then bashed his forehead against Kenji, staggering the samurai for a brief moment. Before Kenji was able to recover from the sudden attack, Itto followed suit with a strong right hook towards his opponent's chest.

The resulting strike blew Kenji a few distances away, but it did not take long for Kenji to find his footing back as he stomped on the ground hard, ensuring he would not be pushed back any further.

"Huh? Usually that would knock someone's lights out..." Itto muttered upon witnessing his opponent still apparently standing after being hit by the oni.

"L-like I said, Kenji isn't normal right now. Just leave me and save yourself, he's too strong for you to take on," Masanori warned.

"You just sit there while I take care of this. Just cause he took one of my punches doesn't mean I'm the one losing," Itto proclaimed as he cracked both his knuckles, emphasizing that he was only getting started.

Despite the distance between the oni and the still enraged soldier, Itto was able to hear his opponent's voice loud and clear, "If you intend to get in my way, then you shall share the same fate!"

"Bring it on!" Itto yelled aloud, staring down his opponent.

Kenji, in turn, responded by rushing ahead, with his sword being swung around wildly, "DIE!"

A more cautious fighter would have evaded attack, but he was Arataki Itto, and he never ran from a challenge.

The oni made no attempt in evading any of his opponent's swings, which resulted in his left rib being struck by the sharp blade. Despite that however, the attack could do little more than cut the surface of his skin, for Kenji did not have the necessary strength to cut through his flesh.

Before the cursed samurai could withdraw back his weapon for another attack, Itto stopped it mid-way as he grabbed ahold of it with his left hand. Despite Kenji's newly awakened power, he was unable to wrestle control back of his sword from Itto, even with both of his arms attempting to do so.

With his opponent occupied by his weapon, Itto seized the opportunity to counter with an attack of his own as his right hand seized Kenji by the head.

Then, he slammed it downwards as hard as he could.

There was nothing elegant, nor strategic about it. In fact, Itto never put much thought into any of his attacks. After all, what's the point of thinking if his guts more than make up for any of his deficiency in formulating plans of attack?

Kenji could not react to the unorthodox attack, nor could he resist as he found his face smacked right onto the ground, and into it as well, with cracks forming beneath the land due to the strong impact.

"That should be enough to make you cool down for a bit," Itto commented, dusting off his hands.

Masanori wasn't so sure of the oni's assertion, and merely watched in trepidation for the smallest movement from Kenji, yet nothing came about it except the silence that followed seconds afterward.

The injured samurai couldn't believe his eyes, "You...won?"

"Heh, what did I tell you? Plus, if the leader of the Arataki Gang lost out here in the middle of nowhere, then I would lose a lot of my awesome reputation," Itto explained, rubbing his finger under his nose.

Unbeknownst to both Itto and Masanori, Kenji did not drift into unconsciousness from Itto's attack, rather the sudden pain brought to him a moment of clarity.

It was as if it was the first time since fighting Masanori did he realize what he was doing, and the implications of what his actions would have brought to the people around him, most notably his best friend Masanori.

The moment didn't last, as it was immediately overwhelmed by another sensation, one that he could not ignore no matter how hard he tried.

Pain.

"GRRRAAAAGGHH!"

At the unexpected roar, both Itto and Masanori turned to see what brought about this turn of events. What they were met with was Kenji forcefully removing his head from the ground, his body poised listlessly for a bit before settling into a hunchback posture.

Not fully understanding what was going on, Itto lifted his right arm to subdue the man once more...

Only to be pushed back by a stream of miasma flowing out from Kenji, causing the oni to take a few steps back due to the sudden intensity.

This did not stop. Rather, the intensity of the miasma was increasing and decreasing at an erratic pace, with Kenji at the center of it.

There was something unnatural about the scene that Itto was seeing, but he did not dwell on it much as he readied himself for another round with his opponent.

Against his expectations, Kenji did not charge forward. Instead, he was clutching his head in pain, grappling with something that none of them understood before facing both Itto and Masanori.

"My...head. Masanori, I will back off for now, but mark my words, I'll return with the intent of finishing you off!" Kenji proclaimed as the miasma around him flared up in response.

Not a moment after, Kenji ran off in a hurry, his groans of pain could be heard as he left a befuddled Itto and weary Masanori behind.

Itto was about to give chase, but the pained sigh behind him reminded the oni that he should take priority on helping Masanori out before anything else.

"Kenji..." Masanori muttered, his awareness of his surroundings dimming.

"Just stay put man," Itto said, trying to reassure the injured man.

Itto then suddenly remembered that his medical skills basically amounted to almost nothing besides the lightest of cuts. That, and his only hands-on experience was cauterizing a wound, which he certainly could not do alone without some sort of guidance.

In that case, his best move right now should be...

"Ushi, go find Gorou and bring him back here. The guy probably knows more about taking care of injuries than I do."

Ushi then let out a snort, which only Itto understood the meaning of.

"What do you mean you don't know him? You know, Gorou? Has fluffy ears and tail, a bit small for guy too now that I think about it," Itto said, all the while gesturing during his explanation.

Ushi then let out a moo, one that even the barely conscious Masanori could tell was an expression of exasperation.

"Right, I only summoned you after I separated from him...well, I just described him so that should be enough for you to get a picture," Itto said simply.

Ushi rolled their eyes at the oni, before running off to find the general of the Resistance.

"And you! I don't wanna hear about how I should leave you and all that junk so don't go dying on me before Gorou gets here," Itto said, pointing at Kenji.

"H-haha...you might want to take care of yourself first," Kenji replied, managing to chortle out the words.

"What do you—wait, is this blood?" Itto yelled out in realization upon seeing the splash of blood now covering his left hand...

And the droplets of them seeping through the cut wound in his left rib.

To this, Itto had only one thing to say.

"AAAAHHHH!"

Goku didn't exactly know what to think of the scene in front of him.

After finishing his meal, he and the rest of the group had ventured out once more in search of the third stone lantern.

There weren't any issues they encountered on their way here per say, but the destination was what confused them quite a bit.

That was because just a few distances away indeed stood one of the stone lanterns that acted as seals to the Tatarigami, but what was alarming to all of them were the people that were sitting nearby...which Goku counted in his head was five in total.

Even someone like him found it weird there was another group of people just sitting around under the rain like that.

"Well now, isn't this a surprise?" Heizou commented offhandedly, though the tone he said it in gave the martial artist the impression that the Doushin expected something like this to take place.

He usually didn't think about small details like this, but having interacted with so many people here who were more thoughtful than he was used to was starting to rub off a bit on the martial artist.

He did not know what to make of this development.

"They're drunk," Kazuha stated, voicing out his observation.

"How can you tell?" Kaji asked, curious to know the samurai's reasoning.

"Though the rain may wash out the smell, their posture and their movement gives us enough piece to fit the whole picture. That is not even mentioning the bottle of sake laying right at the foot of the stone lantern."

Upon a second look, Goku found that what Kazuha said was correct, which continually impressed the martial artist on how sharp his eyesight was.

"So judging from their clothes, they're from the Shogun's Army right?" Kaji added, though there was a hint of uncertainty at the last part.

Heizou was the one who answered, "No, I believe they are not part of the Shogun's Army, if at all. Would I be correct in that assumption, Kuhaku?"

Kuhaku did not address Heizou's question, rather he walked up to the group, waving at them to catch their attention, "Hello there, it's a surprise to see some of my comrades here, but mind if I ask why are you wearing the standard uniforms for those that are under the Shogun's Army?"

Among the five of them, it was the one at the front who noticed Kuhaku approaching them, seeing that the others were either asleep or dazed.

"Huh? You—"

Kuhaku interrupted the man, "It's Kuhaku. Ku. Ha. Ku. I know I don't have the most memorable face out there but you can't possibly have forgotten someone that you've worked with before, right Kouzen?"

The man now known as Kouzen stared blankly at Kuhaku, his expression groggy as he looked on to Goku and others, before nodding on and off, "Right, right...j-just needed a reminder that's all. Asss for your question...what were we talking about again?"

"They are not exactly sound of mind at the moment, perhaps we should focus on the task at hand before we address their actions," Kazuha suggested.

Realization struck Kaji as he pointed at the other group, "Wait, aren't these the guys who left that note on the last seal we were at? It can't be a coincidence that a few of them were out here, drinking left and right in front of the seal of all places! So they're the ones who released the Tatarigami!?"

"Calm down Mr. Kaji, maybe they just wanted some place to rest and they didn't want to be disturbed?" Kuhaku said, trying to placate the man.

"W-watch what you say! We didn't unleash some sort of curse...it's just the judgement of our Omikami, that's allll," Kouzen slurred out, though clarity was slowly coming back to him.

Goku didn't quite understand what Kouzen meant. Regardless, he had a feeling that Kouzen wasn't supposed to blurt that little tidbit out in the first place.

"So you admit to it. This certainly makes it easier for us then," Heizou said as he now stood beside Kuhaku.

The blank look that Kouzen exhibited changed to one of alertness upon seeing Heizou's attire, "Hey...y-you're one of those Shogunate scums! Wake up my brothers, we-we have an enemy in front of us!"

Despite the loud yell, only one or two of them groggily awakened from his voice, while Kouzen was hastily searching for his weapon, grabbing nothin but air as he stumbled and tried to locate it.

Upon seeing the pitiful sight, Kaji let out a tired sigh, only for his frustration to build up again once he remembered a single fact about this particular group.

"You're telling me these idiots are the ones who ruined my home?" Kaji asked no one in particular, his voice at the cusp of breaking out in anger.

"If I have to guess, they were having a celebratory drink after accomplishing what they sought out to do," Heizou explained.

"H-hah! What's wrong with that? Knowing that our Omikami has returned, we now hold the advantage over those Shogunate scums," Kouzen explained proudly.

"But he hasn't returned. I mean...if he has, I don't think his bones would still be laying around like that," Goku interjected, pointing towards the direction that led to Serpent's Head, "Plus, even if he did return it ain't certain whether or not you guys can win. I mean, Raiden can just show up again like last time she fought with him couldn't she?"

He could still recall the story that Kokomi had told him before, of how Orobashi was slain by Raiden's Musou no Hitotachi during a war a long time ago. Even now, he felt that the outcome of the story was unfortunate for both sides.

Kouzen sneered upon hearing the name, "Psh, the Raiden Shogun is nothing more than a coward, holing herself in Tenshukaku all day. So what if she's the Electro Archon, I bet all those stories of her achievements are overblown."

To everyone in the area, Kouzen's words were outright illogical, as the large gouge that existed on Yashiori Island was more than enough evidence to prove him wrong.

Goku however, did not focus on that fact because he didn't need to.

"I believe them," Goku stated simply, catching everyone's action, especially Kouzen whose attention was now squarely on the martial artist.

"Haaah? And who are you supposed to be?" Kouzen questioned, looking at Goku up and down repeatedly, trying to identify him.

"Goku?" the martial artist answered back, confused.

"Alright Goku, don't tell me you fell for the Shogunate's tricks? Listen up because I'm trying to help you out. If the Shogun is as almighty as everyone says she is, then why hasn't she come here and wipe the Resistance out? Simple, it's because she can't."

It was an obvious point that not just Kouzen thought of, but one even Heizou and Kazuha were yearning to know as well, because this question remained unanswered ever since the Resistance was formed half a year ago.

...except for someone who had a personal encounter with her, that was.

"Cause I fought her, so I know how strong she is. As for not fighting you guys, I think it's because she doesn't see you as uhhh...what was it called again, enemy of eternity? Either that, or she doesn't even know what's going on."

Goku couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong about the last part, because the words she spoke to him made it clear she knew of the Resistance, yet he had a feeling that she didn't know the whole picture.

Ah well, he'll just ask her when he will face her in the future again.

Kouzen let out a snort, "Hah, if someone like you actually fought her and lived, then the Shogun's reputation of strength is a joke. Now I know I alone would beat her if she ever showed up. After all, if she couldn't even finish someone like you, then there was always nothing for the Resistance to worry about."

Kaji showed a face of disgust at the last remark, while Kazuha stepped a little closer to the martial artist. Goku even noticed Heizou's expression grew just a bit darker than usual, though he was still smiling all the same.

Goku didn't understand why they would react so negatively at Kouzen's comment, but he paid it no mind as he gave a response of his own.

"Nah, you'll lose pretty easily."

It was blunt, yet it conveyed everything that Goku wanted to say.

Kouzen's confident smirk completely halted upon hearing Goku's statement, with the lack of clarity that he had shown up till now almost completely gone, as they were now replaced with pure anger.

"Mind repeating that?" Kouzen asked, his teeth slowly grinding against one another.

Goku was not bothered by the abrupt change in temperament, as there was absolutely nothing for him to be worried about.

"You won't win."

Goku didn't know how to explain it in words, but he intuitively knew how strong Kouzen was, even without using his ki sensing technique. He did not explain any further than the short statement, which only served to anger Kouzen further.

"Arrogant words for someone who had never seen me fight. Fine, how about I demonstrate to you the might of a warrior that has experienced numerous battles?"

Picking up his spear, Kouzen went into various motions as he swung around his weapon brazenly with little to no regard to anyone nearby.

Thankfully, no one was caught up in his little demonstration...until he pointed the tip of the spear just shy of reaching Goku's forehead.

"Now do you see how strong I am? Of how much you insult everything I and my comrades have persevered throughout our fights with the Shogun's Army!?" he proclaimed loudly.

If there was any uncertainty before, there was none now. Having seen the techniques Kouzen had displayed with the spear, Goku could confidently say that his assessment was correct.

For one, Kouzen's handling of the weapon, while swift, also showed noticeable gaps with each strike that were easily exploitable. Two, his swings were decent but his balance was flimsy, one good kick would be enough to throw off his footing. Lastly, none of what he displayed would have worked on him, let alone Raiden who had a far better mastery and understanding of a spear than he ever had.

It couldn't be denied that Kouzen possessed some skill with the spear, but to Goku, there was an insurmountable gap in terms of skill when comparing him to Raiden.

It wasn't pessimism, but just the simple truth.

Goku scratched the back of his head nonchalantly, "It was neat and all, but how does that tell me you can win against Raiden?"

"You sure spout a lot of nonsense for someone so ignorant. Fine, If you're so sure of everything you say then don't why don't we have a spar? I'm sure the boy who faced the Shogun and lived to tell the tale can beat someone like me, right?" Kouzen said arrogantly.

It was obvious to everyone in the vicinity that the sobered man was goading Goku into a fight, one that Kouzen believed he would no doubt win.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Goku gave a quick response, "Okay."

Kuhaku was the one to voice out his disagreement with this arrangement, "Hey now, how about we stop this before things get out of hand?"

Contrast to the Resistance member, Heizou found the current situation to be a favorable one, seeing that this way, they would be able to solve two of their issues at the same time.

The first one being the uncooperative behavior of the Resistance; the second being the recovery of the stone lantern.

"I don't see why not. Considering the tension in the air, I feel a sparring match would do just the trick. However, what say we make this more interesting?" Heizou chimed in.

Kouzen gave Heizou a dirty look, "Silence bastard. Just because you stand among us for reasons unknown does not mean we won't get to you yet."

Just like Goku, Heizou acted nonchalant about the threat, "All I'm proposing is that if Goku wins, you will allow us to freely take back the missing components for the stone lantern that's standing right behind you."

For the first time since the conversation started, Kouzen seemed reluctant to answer, "I... don't know what you're talking about."

"You can pretend all you want, but we are already past that stage aren't we?"

Kazuha agreed with the Doushin, "Indeed, whether or not you were caught up in your celebration, I will not speculate. However, the two objects that are woefully hidden right under one of the bush near us tells us an adequate picture that proves otherwise of your involvement."

"Oh, you actually managed to see them right from this spot? Here I am doing my best just to estimate where the location is. While it turned out to be correct, I can't help but be envious of your eyes sometimes Kazuha," Heizou complimented, smirking all the while.

Despite the carefree attitude that Heizou exhibited, there was a certain sharpness to his words that Goku did not know how to eloquently put into words.

After that, Heizou turned his attention back to the other group, "In exchange, you are free to do whatever you want with me if you win."

Now Goku was the one who was taken by surprise, "Eh!? You don't have to do something like that Heizou."

"Oh, but I must...otherwise there really isn't much incentive for them to agree, am I right?" Heizou asked, his eyes turning to the Resistance members that were facing them.

As Goku followed Heizou's gaze, he found that Kouzen and the other four were indeed deliberating on the Doushin's offer as they talked amongst themselves.

"Fine. Once I'm done with him you're next," Kouzen answered, complying with the request but at the same time threatening Heizou.

The Doushin merely shrugged as he looked towards Kazuha, sharing a silent conversation with him before the young samurai stepped up to the position between Goku and Kouzen.

"Then I'll oversee this match, where one wins when the other admit defeat. Is this an acceptable condition of victory to the both of you?"

Goku had nothing to argue about, but Kouzen thought otherwise, "Make it until one of us isn't fit for battle, I want to make sure he knows the consequences of belittling all of the struggles that I've done to get this strong."

Kazuha did not answer the sober man, but turned to Goku seeking whether or not the martial artist would agree to this particular rule, of which Goku gave a thumbs-up, showing his approval.

With that, the others moved back in order for the two combatants to battle in a wider space. As Kouzen grasped the spear onto both the palms of his hands, the man noticed Goku held nothing in his hands, nor looked to have an intention to do so either.

"Where's your weapon?" Kouzen asked, a twinge of irritation at how unworried Goku was treating this sparring session.

"It's stuck somewhere really high up, and I don't think I'm going to be using it for awhile. So, all I got is just me and my whole body," Goku explained casually.

Kouzen scoffed, "Whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you."

He didn't, but the martial artist didn't really care about stuff like that.

Once Kazuha signaled the start of the match, Goku immediately disappeared from everyone's line of sight, making his opponent wonder what he had just performed.

...only for Kouzen to immediately fall over as the martial artist reappeared just behind the Resistance member.

In the blink of an eye, the outcome of this battle had become apparent.

"You…what did you do!?" one of the Resistance members asked in disbelief, panicking at what they saw with their own two eyes.

"Hm? The match started, so I attacked?" Goku answered, his confusion shown as he wondered at the point of the inquiry.

Every observer in the area was perplexed about what just occurred, even after Goku's supposed explanation...

All except two, that was.

Heizou and Kazuha were able to follow along his movement just fine. Even so, it did not diminish what Goku had just displayed to them.

To an untrained eye, it almost seemed like he teleported but in truth, Goku simply moved so fast that the others were unable to track. Once he positioned himself behind Kouzen, the martial artist followed up with a light chop to the back of his opponent's neck, effectively ending the fight.

This all occurred in the span of a single instance.

"Goku, don't you think you overdid that just now?" Kuhaku questioned.

"He'll probably wake up in a bit, so it's fine," Goku explained, waving off the concern.

Right after saying so, Kouzen did in fact wake up, his neck hurting as he slowly got up once more. The moment the Resistance member turned his head to find Goku staring at him in an open stance that held no indication he would attack.

"Yo!" Goku greeted amiably.

Kouzen backed away upon seeing Goku, his mind still reeling on what had just transpired, "Hu—What just—"

"You shouldn't get so panicky. After all, the fight ain't over yet," Goku said calmly.

Kouzen stared at the martial artist in confusion. This did not last as his expression morphed to one of anger as he angrily pointed at his opponent.

"I remember now...you coward! To think you would hit me from the back," Kouzen accused, his neck still sore even now.

Goku awkwardly scratched his head at the accusation, "I mean, you could have just blocked it."

The martial artist did not understand what got Kouzen so upset. After all, the attack he just showed was nothing impressive in his eyes.

"Fight me head on like a true warrior, coward!"

Provocative those words may be, Goku paid no attention to them, though there was one word that did linger in his mind.

Warrior.

A simple description, it was. He did not know what it took for someone to classify another person as a warrior, but to the martial artist, anyone that fought in battles with everything they had was enough for Goku to see them as such.

...which was why he was a bit bothered by Kouzen continued attempts to downplay Raiden's capabilities as a fighter.

Having fought with Raiden, Goku knew that could not be any further away from the truth. It did not mean he agreed with whatever she was doing with those decrees, but the martial artist respected her martial prowess, even if his near death experience was solely because of her.

So, to see an opponent he respected to be looked down upon wasn't something that he liked at all, honestly.

Still, he would not lash out in anger, nor would he go out of his way to lecture someone. That simply wasn't his way of doing things. However…

"Alright, but you better give it all you got," Goku answered seriously.

The man stepped back upon witnessing the sudden intensity that his opponent was showing, but quickly disregarded it as he immediately rushed in, with his spear at the forefront.

Just as the tip of the spear was about to thrust towards Goku, the martial artist slightly shifted his upper body at the last moment, dodging the attack just enough for Kouzen to falter from the forward momentum.

Despite the opportunity that presented itself, Goku did not go out of his way to attack his opponent. Rather, he swiftly grabbed Kouzen by the shoulder, and lightly pushed him away, stopping the man from falling in the process.

"You!" Kouzen voiced out, having noticed the failure of his first attack.

Thus, Goku's opponent charged ahead once more. Seeing that the Resistance member was attempting the same method just like before, the martial artist did not see the need to move away from his position.

Despite the ferocity Kouzen was showing, Goku simply deflected the attack while Kouzen was easily pushed aside by the martial artist once more.

Frustrated, Kouzen did not let up in his assault as charged towards Goku, his steps laden with impatience and his heart fueled by anger...

But the results remained unchanged.

It did not matter whether it was a thrust, a strike or even a horizontal swing. None of Kouzen's techniques were able to so much even hit Goku, so the question of harming the martial artist was not even a consideration to those who watched from the sidelines.

This process repeated itself so much that even the observers of the fight had become numb to the repetitive course of events. After an hour of the same result occurring again and again, none of them expected Kouzen to win, not even his own comrades.

After the flurry of failed attempts, Kouzen now stood a few steps away from Goku, his breathing uneven as he clutched his weapon almost desperately.

"Why won't you attack!?" Kouzen questioned, his eyes maddening that he had made no progress in this fight.

"If I did, then you would just fall over again," Goku replied, explaining his reasoning.

Sure, he could put the minimum amount of effort into attacking, but his first attack had been exactly that, and it already showed the martial artist everything he needed to see in this spar.

It was unfortunate, as it was not the answer Kouzen was thrilled to hear, "That's not how a true warrior fights, this is—you're—"

"Yeah, but it's not a fight at all if it ends in one hit, you know?"

It was after that statement that it finally settled into Kouzen's mind, a fact that he had never realized up until this very moment. Up until this point, all the fights he had done in his life, even including the ones that were against the forces of the Shogun's Army were always winnable, no matter the circumstance.

This did not apply to this particular fight.

It was the first time in his whole life that he truly felt he could not win, no matter what he did. After all, how could there be a fight if the level of strength between two opponents were as wide as the distances from Inazuma to Fontaine?

Following this train of thought...

Was this what it felt like if he were to face the Shogun by himself?

No, if her strength was enough to beat the martial artist in front of him then she would have just crushed him instantly if he ever faced her directly.

It was a truth that he was forced to swallow, and one that he could not deny no matter how much he wanted to deny it.

"I-I...give...up," Kouzen uttered out.

Goku blinked, "You sure?"

Though there was the rule that one only lost when the participant was deemed unable to fight, Goku couldn't care less of it, as it was deemed unimportant in his eyes. Plus, it also appeared that Kazuha had no intention of reminding Kouzen of the modified rule either.

"Y-Yes, there's no point to this anymore," Kouzen replied, his face showing nothing but defeat at the outcome.

One of the members behind him felt the need to interject, "Kouzen, if you lose then—"

"Let them take it. Whatever they do with those accursed seals I won't let anyone interfere...it's the least I can do to keep my pride as a warrior."

"And I must thank you for that, even if it's only out of pride," Heizou praised as he walked up to the man.

Kouzen let out a disgruntled snort, "Shut it. I'm not doing this for you, I'm merely keeping my word, that's all."

Despite the insult, the Doushin continued onwards "I know, but there is a lot more to discuss after we put back the components, specifically on the one who orchestrated this plan to release the Tatarigami."

"..."

"I see," Heizou commented as he walked past Kouzen, along a still irate Kaji glaring at the Resistance members.

Meanwhile, Kuhaku went to speak to the other Resistance members at the scene, presumably to convince them that what Goku and the others were doing would not hinder their forces in any way shape or form.

"You continue to surprise me Goku," Kazuha praised genuinely as he now stood right next to the martial artist

"Did I? I didn't do anything that special," Goku answered, bewildered.

Kazuha shook his head, "I'm not simply speaking of your martial prowess."

No further explanation came from Kazuha, which prompted Goku to give the young samurai a weird look.

Kouzen's spirit still dulled, yet the question he had ever since he lost the match bothered him so much that he couldn't help but ask one thing to Goku as he walked towards both of them.

"...Tell me, how did you get so strong?"

The question took both Goku and Kazuha by surprise, but the martial artist was able to quickly come up with an answer.

"Hmm? I ain't strong," Goku said simply.

Kouzen couldn't believe his ears, "What?"

It just wasn't logical. By all possible angles, the opponent before Kouzen was undeniably powerful, to the point that he was even questioning whether all the battles the Resistance member experienced were even fights at all. Even more so since Goku possessed no Vision on his person, indicating that the martial artist's strength came from within and nowhere else.

Goku then turned his gaze to the sea before continuing, "I still got a long way to go, so I can't really consider myself strong yet. That's why I'm still training to surpass my limit at every chance I get."

As Goku's thoughts were occupied by matters that only he would understand, Kazuha saw the small shift in Kouzen's expression. If the young wanderer were to hazard a guess, then it could only be one thing.

Acceptance.

"Tch, none of them are willing to spill on the idiot that started this whole thing," Kaji complained.

Having fixed the stone lantern after receiving the missing components that the Resistance members were hiding, they then began asking questions in regards to the ringleader who commanded the Resistance members to break the Tatarigami seals.

Though the Resistance members were significantly more subdued and compliant after Kouzen's fight with Goku, it was only on this matter that none of them were willing to reveal their leader's identity.

"Come on Mr. Kaji, it's surely because they don't want to drag their comrades' into this any more than they already have. I mean, I would do the same thing," Kuhaku said reasonably.

"Sure, but what difference does it make since they all already admitted to breaking the seals!?" Kaji argued back in slight irritation.

Kuhaku withdrew slightly from the outburst, not knowing how to answer the man any more than he had.

Heizou on the other hand, decided that now was the best time to voice out his own thoughts on the matter, "While it would be nice to have verbal confirmation on who the perpetrator is, not to mention finding this Nathan person that was mentioned in the notes…but it's nothing more than that, confirmation. After all, I already have a very solid idea who our culprit is.."

Kaji's irritation momentarily subsided as he turned to the Doushin, "You do?"

"Yes, but in order to do so, I can only unveil this information once we return to the Resistance's camp. It's only then and there we can catch them off-guard," Heizou explained.

None of them had any idea or even hints to what Heizou had figured out. Regardless, they accepted his reasoning given his great deductive skills had helped in guiding them throughout their journey of recovering the seals.

"Since we're done with all the seals, I think it's the perfect time for us to return. Hopefully General Gorou will be back by the time we get there," Kuhaku said, expressing his relief.

"That may be so, but I do not feel any noticeable shift in the flow of the winds, nor find anything that looks out of place. However, I cannot quite confirm my suspicion as it is mostly guesswork. Goku, you are the one who is most attuned in sensing the Tatarigami, is there something you found different from my own observations?"

"Nah, this weird feeling I have is still around, and it hasn't become any weaker," Goku stated.

The others did not know what to make of this information, as only questions continued to pop up after realizing the implications of Goku's words.

Were their methods perhaps ineffective in recovering the seals on Yashiori Island?

Or perhaps it was because once the Tatarigami was unsealed, it could no longer be contained?

Fortunately for them, they did have a resident expert, or at least that was what Heizou liked to refer to the man as, "That is strange...Kaji, do you have a bit of insight in regards to this matter?"

Kaji ruffled his hair as he thought on the issue, "Urggh, I don't get it either. All three seals on the island have been fixed, and unless I'm—oh."

"Oh?"

"Forget it, it's not possible in the first place," the man answered, throwing the absurd idea out of his head.

"Does it have anything to do with the sudden breeze coming from the sea?" Kazuha chimed in, as he looked towards the wide ocean.

The others followed suit, including Kouzen and the other Resistance members who were curious about what was going on.

What they saw next astounded them...

Where they were supposed to be a patch of nothing but water for all to see, were now replaced with some sort of scattered ruin rising from beneath the waters.

"What is that?" Kuhaku couldn't help but utter his surprise.

"It couldn't be— Fort Mumei!?" Kaji yelled out in disbelief.

Heizou placed both his arms across his chest as he tried searching through his memory of such a name, but came out short in the end.

"Can't say I ever heard of it."

"Not surprised there, it's pretty unknown to a lot of people. Even I don't really know much about its history, just that it was sunk a long time ago."

"It's there!" Goku shouted for all of them to hear.

"What's there Goku?" Kazuha asked.

Goku's eyes were staring directly towards the middle of the new ruin, "The last thing we're trying to find. I can sense a lot of it coming from that place."

Kazuha quickly picked up on what their next action should be, "That means if we fix the last seal the Tatarigami can be contained again."

Many thoughts started to float around in the group's heads, mostly on immediately heading out towards Fort Mumei together just like they have done for the past three stone lanterns.

Heizou however, had other plans installed for all of them, "...Goku, how about we leave this to you and Kaji to handle?"

Everyone was surprised by the Doushin's proposal, to say the least, including Goku.

"You sure Heizou?"

Heizou merely gave the martial artist a playful smirk, "It would be foolish of me to doubt your capabilities now. Besides, we can't very much bring these good fellows with us if all of us were to head downwards to investigate Fort Mumei."

That was true, considering it would more than take a bit of time for them to reach Fort Mumei from their current location. This was not even mentioning that their group had essentially doubled in size, which would hinder them considerably if they continued travelling together.

"Then why just me and him?" Kaji pointed out, not quite onboard with the idea as the martial artist was.

"Well, if I come along then Kuhaku would have to as well, seeing as I'm supposed to be under his watchful eyes at all times. Kazuha could come along with you guys, but let's just say there's a certain something that I require of him so it would be less than ideal if he does not accompany us back to the Resistance's camp."

With the way Kazuha responded, Goku gathered that the young samurai was not informed of this decision, but did not voiced out any disagreement with it either.

Kazuha sure was able to adapt no matter the situation, huh?

"Fine. I know how to fix the darn thing already, so I need the extra protection just in case anything crazy happens," Kaji said somewhat acceptingly.

"Great, then we're in agreement," Heizou said cheerfully, before turning to a certain Resistance member, "Kuhaku, do you mind telling your good companions to follow us back to your base of operations? If they need a bit of convincing, please inform them that I have no desire to question them any further."

Kuhaku nodded, albeit slower than expected, "I'll give it a go, I'm sure they'll agree with what you just said."

After Kuhaku ran off to the other group, Kazuha took this opportunity to begin his inquiry on his role, "Heizou, what is it that you require of me when we return?"

"Perfect timing, let's talk about it in a place where ears aren't as prevalent, shall we?"

With that, the two left towards a spot further away from the Resistance's group, leaving only Kaji and Goku alone by themselves.

"And there they go, talking all so secretively over there like it's so important. Anyway, I'll be counting on you."

"Hehe, you bet!" Goku said, brimming with confidence.

Acknowledging Goku's words with a nod, Kaji then went away to check up on his belongings in order to ensure that he was ready for the journey ahead.

With everyone else busy with their own matters, Goku turned from the spot Goku was standing on as he now looked back to a specific location, one he just had a battle on as well.

Serpent's Head.

It was melancholic no matter how many times his eyes gaze upon its structure, but Goku managed a smile despite it all, "Don't worry. We'll make sure everything's back to normal before you know it."

With his piece said, Goku turned around to seek out the others, or at least, he was about to until he heard something quite peculiar.

˹Thank...you...˼

Goku's head whipped around in astonishment, yet no matter how hard he stared at it he had no repeat encounter with the unknown voice he just heard.

The martial artist wondered...nah, he was probably just overthinking it.

"Her Excellency, she's disappeared!"

That was what Tsuyuko heard as one Izumi Naki ran past her in a frantic manner, presumably to inform the other shrine priestesses of this new development.

Contrast to her fellow priestess, Tsuyuko was at the very definition of calm, seeing as this sort of sight wasn't as rare as one might think.

Tsuyuko thought through it for a bit, and concluded that there was really only one place Her Excellency would be.

The shrine maiden walked to the back of the Sangonomiya Shrine, where giant clam shells were stacked upon one another that had existed for as long as she could remember stood there, awaiting her arrival.

With not a hint of hesitation, Saki climbed slowly but steadily...until she saw someone standing at the very top, gazing into the distance.

"You Excellency, it would appear you've finally awakened from your nap."

A soft smile graced Kokomi's lips as the Divine Priestess now faced towards her, "No. I was just drowning for a very long while."

"Really? Now you're saying the same thing as our guest, and here I thought that you were saving him, not sharing secrets between one another. Is there something I should know about?" Tsuyuko asked, teasing the girl.

Kokomi's cheeks reddened lightly, a reaction that Tsuyuko easily caught onto before her normal facade returned, "If you're referring to Goku, then it was simply because of how circumstances turned out."

"Because of how circumstances turned out?"

"Because of how circumstances turned out," Kokomi stated as if it was a matter-of-fact.

Well, Tsuyuko supposed it was enough teasing to make up for the days that she didn't. Now, onto the topic she wanted to discuss.

"Tsuyuko, are you perhaps trying to tell me something else about Goku?" Kokomi asked.

It seemed Her Excellency was as sharp as ever, "Yes, it's just that...he suddenly disappeared off the island."

"I know. He's on Yashiori Island at the moment," Kokomi answered, the tone coming off as an obvious answer rather than one that was made out of vague guesses.

"He is?"

That certainly caught Tsuyuko by surprise, as the last thing she heard of him was Goku sneaking into Her Excellency's room, only to quickly leave right after Saki spotted him.

However, how exactly did Her Excellency know of his current location when she had been asleep all this time?

Before the shrine maiden could even ask, Kokomi beat her to the punch as she continued the conversation at hand, "Please inform the guards positioned at the port to prepare for a small boat for me to set sail on, as I am heading out towards Yashiori Island at once."

Working already right after waking up, this certainly remained an aspect of Her Excellency that hasn't changed.

Yet, Tsuyuko knew the girl did not like handling such matters, but did so because she was the only one with the required capabilities.

It was saddening, really. Her Excellency's existence had always felt lonely, even with Tsuyuko's best attempt in trying to connect with the girl more. Though she was able to peek through her public persona from time to time, the shrine maiden had never seen the Divine Priestess completely open with her...or any of the residents here, be they priestesses of the Sangonomiya Shrine or a villager from Bourou Village.

Tsuyuko sincerely hoped that one day that circumstances for Kokomi would change sooner than later, even if slightly.

Regardless, the shrine maiden put those thoughts aside for now, "Very well, I'll set out immediately per your instruction."

"As for the question you were about to ask...I know of Goku's whereabouts only because I have seen everything Goku has done ever since he woke up," she surmised, with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

Her Excellency did not elaborate after that, but Tsuyuko did not question her further either, for she walked away with a smile adorned on her face.

As Tsuyuko left out of earshot, Kokomi's smile faltered as she continued gazing at the scenery, her mind still swarming with thoughts that she needed the time to herself in order to reorganize them.

"...There will be various matters that I will have to attend to when I arrive on Yashiori island...yet the one I'm hesitating the most on is my decision concerning Goku."

Truly, the role of Divine Priestess was not one that Kokomi could take lightly, even now.

Chapter Text

"Grk!"

Masanori let out a grunt in pain, having just finished being treated for his recent injuries by none other than Gorou, the young general of the Resistance.

If he were still fighting on the side of the Shogunate, he probably would have lashed out or glared at him warily, even with the terrible condition his body was in.

Now though? It was just awkward, as while he did in fact cut off ties with the Shogun's Army with the intention of joining the Resistance, the timing was awful considering this was right after a battle between the two opposing forces.

Judging by the general's expression, he could tell the result of the battle was not in favour of the Resistance.

"Okay. Now I require an explanation on what is going on here…Itto?" Gorou asked, standing right back up now that he had treated Masanori's wounds.

"Whatcha talking about buddy? We just saved someone, so lighten up a bit!"

"While it is fortunate that I got here in time, what I am wondering is why exactly am I helping someone from the Shogun's Army?"

"Okay, I can probably explain that part," Itto said hastily, though judging from the look of panic, the oni was probably trying to come up with a decent explanation.

"P-Please, allow me," Masanori spoke up, still gasping between each breath he took.

Gorou's eyes locked onto Masanori's, his eyes seemingly neutral, yet even Masanori could tell there was a quiet intensity behind them, ready to burst if the injured man expressed himself incorrectly.

Well, Masanori already knew this was going to be a difficult journey, so he had no choice but to continue onwards.

The best way to do so, in his opinion, was just to be as straightforward as possible.

"I would like to join the Resistance."

There was no verbal reaction from the young general, but the silence was enough of a confirmation for Masanori to elaborate more, "It's the whole reason why I am in this state. I had told no one but my sworn blood brother, yet his reaction and the consequences thereafter is as you see now."

It took several seconds after Masanori had finished speaking did Gorou speak once more, "...And why do you want to join us? I would think that a member of the Shogunate would sooner commit sepukku than be on the side that opposes the will of the Shogun."

"I come from a small village. The reason I joined the Tenryou Commission was in the hopes of making a name for myself. Not only that, I would also be able to take care of those that have raised the me that has been ridiculed all his life. As for whether or not I achieved my goal... I believe my ranking as Hatamoto speaks for itself."

Masanori then let out a tired sigh as he gazed into the darkened sky before continuing on, "It was only but a few days ago I came upon a blood-stained letter, one that I took from a Sangonomiya soldier that I personally felled."

Gorou remained silent, but Masanori could immediately feel the spike in intensity coming from the young general's gaze, "...After I read it, I realized that the letter belongs to a senior that I met when I first enlisted. Thus, all sorts of questions kept popping up in my head, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it as I read through it several times over just to find his reason for opposing the Shogun's Army...until all of it became clear to me."

It was a realization that had arrived late, but he would try to atone all the same.

"The rebels that I had been fighting were people as well, with parents they needed to take care of and homes they wished to return to, just like I do," Masanori then turned to Gorou, looking towards the young general as sincerely as he could, "This is why I left, and now wish to join the Resistance in the fight for the abolishment of the Vision Hunt Decree."

Silence returned after Masanori finished saying his piece, and this remained for quite a bit, with Itto looking between him and Gorou with worry while the young general continued staring down at him, likely deciphering his intentions behind his words even now.

It felt like what was eternity before Gorou spoke, "Then why not just leave it all? Wouldn't it be the easier option of the two, instead of joining the Resistance?"

Masanori could only wryly smile at the thought, "Truthfully, I intended to do just that at first. Simply leaving seems so much easier than taking up the sword again, but knowing what I have done, it simply wouldn't sit well with me. T-that's why...please let me join the Resistance! I'll do anything you require of me, be it throwing away my honor or my name!"

At the proclamation, Gorou became silent again, prompting the sole observer to the exchange that was taking place to intervene, as the tension was so stifling that Itto couldn't take it anymore, "Alright alright, come on Gorou. You have to give the guy a bit of slack, he did have enough guts to quit the Tenryou Commission just to join ya all."

"I never said I was going to reject him, did I?"

Itto blinked, wondering if he had just misheard, "You weren't?"

The young general shook his head, "No. My personal feelings aside, having a former Hatamoto on the side of the Resistance would certainly bolster our forces, in more than one sense."

Considering the common background of many of their soldiers, having someone like Masanori would no doubt be a boon in terms of training them. Eventhough Gorou knew his friend Kazuha was the most adept swordsman he had ever laid eyes on, he also knew that the Kaedahara's way of swordsmanship couldn't be easily taught to others.

Coupled with the fact that his friend was technically a hired mercenary, the young general figured a burden such as that should not be placed on him, what with all the fighting at the front lines that he was already involved in.

Gorou could hear the man swallowed in nervousness, before posing another question to him, "And what of your own thoughts?"

Now that was certainly a question that Gorou held many thoughts about, "Can't say. On one hand, your former affiliation with the Shogun's Army is enough of a reason for me to disregard your request outright. At the same time, I can see the sincerity and remorse in your eyes and I don't think I can find anyone that would be able to fake such a look to me given my experiences."

In the short time since he had risen up in rank within the Resistance, there had certainly been cases of people with hidden agendas upon voicing out their intention into joining the Resistance.

Whenever Gorou had been the one to make the final judgment call, he could discern their true intention not just through the rhythm of their heartbeat thanks to his acute hearing, but also their eyes.

The eyes tell a lot more than one might assume.

"Then?"

There was a hopeful tone in Masanori's voice, one that the young general responded to in kind.

"On behalf of the Resistance, welcome to our ranks," Gorou stated formally.

A brief sigh of relief escaped Masanori's lips, "Hahaha, it seems fortune hasn't quite left my side just yet."

It was then that Masanori's hand started to tremble uncontrollably, something that did not escape his notice, "My hands are shaking...was I really that nervous? I don't think I was ever that anxious when I was trying to join the Tenryou Commission...It doesn't matter. The path that I have just chosen has only just begun. Now, what I have to do next is...save..."

It did not take long after Masanori fell into a world of unconsciousness, his body now slumped over.

"Oi!" Itto said in a panick as he rushed to the man's side.

Unlike the oni, the young general remained calm as he listened in closely to the man's breathing, "He's fine, it's probably due to the over-exhaustion, what with the events that had just transpired."

Itto stared at Masanori with a contemplative look, before nodding to himself as he lifted Masanori over his shoulder.

"So...what are you planning to do now?" Itto asked, his voice strangely subdued.

"It's best that we return to camp. I need to make a report on what happened on Nazuchi Beach, and to figure out what needs to be done next. Since you're already carrying him, then I supposed you were already planning on bringing back to camp?"

"Got that right. Ain't no way I'm leaving a guy like this by himself."

Itto still had no plans on joining the Resistance, but it would bug him alot more if he didn't do this for the guy.

"Good, I would have carried myself if you weren't able to," Gorou admitted aloud, before walking away, back to the direction of the Resistance base.

Itto immediately tried to catch up with the young general, grinning ever so cheerfully as he faced the young general from the side, "Hey Gorou, I gotta admit...You ain't half bad."

"I don't know what that means, but thank you?"

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can say as the leader of the Arataki Gang!" Itto proclaimed proudly.

"Moo!"

His boasting was immediately flattened by a tiny moo that accompanied them, courtesy of one Ushi.

Being the only one who understood what the small bull meant, Itto had no choice but to give a retort, "Oh, you shut your yap Ushi!"

Seeing the scene transpiring before, Gorou could truly say he had no idea of what was going on.

He just hoped that whatever findings that Kazuha and the others found yielded much more desirable results compared to theirs.

Goku looked on in contemplation as he felt the flowing wave of the ocean swerve back and forth up until his ankle.

He wasn't the only one either, as Kaji held the same expression he did, no doubt because of the strange sight in front of them.

Now what made them stop to the point that they had been doing nothing but gawking for more than ten minutes?

It certainly wasn't because of the journey to their destination, as it really wasn't too difficult considering Goku simply carried Kaji to the ruins. What the two didn't account for however, or didn't see from afar was something sitting right before the seal they were looking for.

And by something, they meant the mechanical lifeform sitting in seiza, its appearance looking worn down from use, yet there was this strange air around it that the two could not place.

"Who could believe that one of those things was left unscathed right within Fort Mumei?" Kaji muttered in surprise, upon realizing the identity of the humanoid-shaped lifeform.

Now that statement certainly piqued Goku's curiosity, "I thought you said you didn't know anything about this place?"

Kaji huffed, "I said not much, not nothing at all. Well, Fort Mumei was the location where the mighty Ogosho fought against a god laden in evil, or so the stories say."

So Raiden did something like that huh? Then again, Goku supposed it wasn't too surprising given her rather straightforward way of dealing with matters, which he had already witnessed firsthand.

"The result of the battle was so disastrous that only ruins and pieces of the fort remained, but it seems the Maguu Kenki was the only thing that remained intact."

"So, what is it then?" Goku asked as he continued scrutinizing the strange thing.

"It's a mechanical puppet, said to be modeled after a renowned swordsman within the history of Inazuma," Kaji explained.

So it was essentially a robot...like many of those that he had faced and destroyed in his fight against the Red Ribbon Army. Still, it was best not to treat it like them, just in case it turned out to be different from the mechanical lifeforms he knew back in his world.

What's more interesting was the fact that it apparently knew how to handle a blade...

Goku grinned upon connecting the dots between the Maguu Kenki and the Raiden Shogun, realizing that this could potentially be a good training session for him, specifically in the case of fighting an opponent adept at the way of the blade.

Obviously, there was only one course of action for the martial artist.

"Then I just have to beat it," Goku stated, like it was the simplest matter in the world.

"Hey! What makes you so sure that thing is still functioning? It's been sunk into the ocean for hundreds of years, it's already a miracle that it's still left intact."

Logically speaking, Kaji wasn't wrong, but to Goku, who had experienced all sorts of circumstances that many believed to be impossible, he could not discount the possibility as easily as Kaji. Besides, he didn't need to as he already noticed the small movement it made ever since the two of them had stood around observing the ruin.

"It looks more than just fine to me," Goku stated confidently.

This prompted Kaji to stare at the automaton once more, and his immediate reaction was disbelief as the automaton slowly, yet mechanically stood up from its sitting posture

Though they could not see that the puppet possessed eyes of any sort, the two instinctively knew it was staring at them intently, as if it was challenging them to make the first move.

Something that Goku easily accepted as he took a step forward.

Noticing what the martial artist was planning to do, Kaji would do his best to oppose such questionable decision-making.

"You can't seriously be planning to face it head on?"

Goku did not address the man directly, as his eyes were already sizing up his opponent-in-waiting, "I can already tell it wants a fight, so I can't just reject that you know?"

Without any further explanation, Goku headed off to face the Maguu Kenki, leaving a very confused Kaji who was struggling to say anything back to the martial artist.

As he moved ever closer to the area that it was standing on, his new opponent took on a fighting posture, with its blade at the forefront.

In response, Goku simply grinned and dashed off towards it, leaving splashes of water to explode behind him.

Instead of brandishing its blade, the mechanical automaton picked an option of attack that Goku never even considered.

Its two halves that were floating around its shoulder collided with one another, forming what seemed to be a human-sized oni mask, now floating right in front of the automaton.

Then, it was blasted off towards him.

There were many ways that Goku could have evaded the attack, whether it be jumping over it or stepping to the side, but the martial artist instead chose to take it head on, as he felt that he needed to gauge the strength of his opponent before committing to any other option for this fight.

That, and he also wanted to test something out.

If two halves combined to form one whole mask, then it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that it can be detached again right?

The momentum of the gigantic mask was stopped almost entirely as Goku held out his right palm, before placing his other arm into the small slit in the middle of the mask.

"Haargh!"

With a battle cry, Goku forcefully separated the mask into two, causing them to be flung towards separate directions, allowing the martial artist to gain full view of his opponent...

who was already preparing their next attack, evident by the iai stance it was now donning, its blade hungering to strike down its prey.

He did not know whether it was the glow of the night, or was it simply his imagination, but in that single moment, he did not see the mechanical being known as the Maguu Kenki, but in its place instead stood one singular entity.

The Raiden Shogun.

And she was now dashing off towards him with her blade at the ready.

Goku immediately gripped his right hand tightly, steadying himself for a counter, but stopped upon realizing that the movements were several steps slower than what he remembered.

The image then broke apart as reality settled in, returning with the Maguu Kenki already mid-way across the area.

Shaking off what he just saw, Goku side-stepped away from the trajectory of the dash, before jumping further away from the mechanical swordsman.

Once Goku was within a safe distance, he took this moment to reflect on what happened just now, because he simply couldn't understand it himself.

One moment he was facing the Maguu Kenki, the next he was seeing the very splitting image of Raiden herself. No matter how much he racked his brain around it, nothing came to mind since it didn't seem like the mechanical automaton had some sort of ability that manipulated its surroundings. His mind was perfectly sound as far as he was concerned…

So, was it all just in his head?

Did he simply hallucinate the image on his own?

If so, then was seeing his opponent take a similar sword stance enough to make him conjure up Raiden instead of his real opponent?

Truly, he was looking forward to the rematch more than even he first thought.

Regardless, he needed to reign in this desire of his, lest things spiraled out of his hand just because he was getting too carried out with the idea of fighting someone that wasn't even here.

Then again, the Maguu Kenki would make a good practice opponent for him since its swordsmanship did bear a vague resemblance to the Electro Archon's.

Considering how much he struggled with facing Raiden's blade, this might as well be the best time to test out and figure out the best way to handle them before the eventual rematch.

With a flick of his left wrist, a flurry of wind swirled towards him as Goku readied himself for another exchange of attacks.

The automaton reacted with the same intensity as anemo energy began to gather around a singular point, its blade.

The battle continued on, with both participants looking ready to take down one another.

"I'll take my leave here. I bet my superior is going to be interested in what we discovered from our investigation," Kuhaku announced the moment they stepped into the entrance of the Resistance camp.

"Is that so? Regardless, I'll express my thanks for keeping me company then, Kuhaku. Without you, I wouldn't have discovered the culprit behind this little incident," Heizou replied, his expression unreadable to the young man.

Kuhaku merely gave an awkward smile, not knowing how to answer that before quickly running off, leaving Heizou, alongside Kazuha with the group of Resistance members they have brought along.

Now, the young Doushin had to proceed to the next step of his plan.

As Heizou was about to do just that, Kazuha came up to him before shooting him with a question, "Are you sure you do not require my presence for your...retelling of events?"

Heizou smirked slyly, "Is that worry I detect from you, Kazuha?"

Kazuha shook his head, "You misunderstand, I don't doubt your capabilities, having already bared witness to it myself, but would matters not go quicker if I am also present for what you're planning to do?"

"I won't deny things would go much smoother with you here, but what I requested from you is far too important to be ignored at this juncture. After all, you're the one who catches the culprit before he escapes," Heizou stated simply.

There was no hesitation nor reservations, merely a look of acceptance as the young samurai nodded, "I see...then I'll leave the rest to you. Hopefully, things will be resolved peacefully."

With that, Kazuha left quietly, leaving Heizou walking in tow with the group of rebel soldiers he and the others had found a while ago, prompting wary glances from the other Resistance members at the camp.

Despite the tension, Heziou found the situation to be ideal, since he needed as many pairs of eyes on him as possible.

The question was...how exactly should he grab their attention with the maximum effect?

Heizou didn't need to linger long for an answer to the question as a certain individual approached him, their expression neutral before addressing him.

"You're a brave one for returning, Doushin...and bringing along our comrades in tow as well, forcefully too from what I'm seeing...just what are you planning here?"

Heizou remembered this man, seeing as it was the very same individual that was leading the charge of convincing the other Resistance members to capture him just to pry information out of him.

Things couldn't have aligned better even in Heizou's best scenario, "You're...Tadakatsu correct?"

"I'm surprised you remember someone as lowborn as me, Doushin of the Tenryou Commission."

"You made a very strong impression, so it's only natural. As for your question, the only plan I have is simply to expose the truth. Simply put, the Tatarigami has been unsealed, and part of the reason is due to this group's involvement."

As expected, murmurs and whispers now drowned out the entire Resistance camp, some having no clue on what Heizou was talking about, while many immediately knew the consequences and implications of his words.

What was most interesting to Heizou however, was Tadakatsu's reaction...or the lack of it.

"How absurd. Are we meant to take the word of someone affiliated with the Tenryou Commission at face value?"

Heizou remained unaffected by the tense atmosphere, "Then posit me this. Don't you think it's a bit strange that today had nothing but dark clouds hovering above our heads?"

"So what? Perhaps it is the whims of the Electro Archon that caused the skies to darken?"

It wasn't a bad guess, but there was one singular flaw with that idea, "While it is true the Shogun has control over lightning, I sincerely doubt that she would decide today of all days to strike down lightning from above unless..."

He didn't need to continue, because he knew from the looks that every Resistance member now adorned, that they understood that the only possible meaning would be that the Raiden Shogun would be descending onto the battlefield herself.

Whether or not they dreaded or loved the idea of it, the Doushin did not know. What he did know was that from the way Tadakatsu visibly darkened at his explanation, meant that this assertion of Tadakatsu's could only be wrong.

After all, an entity such as the Electro Archon would have made herself known by now, for that was how overwhelming her presence was as a God.

"Fine, let's say I believe you that the unnatural change in weather is due to the Tatarigami, but what makes you so certain that the group behind you was the perpetrator of it all?"

Like hooking up fish with bait, Heizou immediately capitalized on Tadakatsu's words, "I'll have to correct you there. I never said they were the perpetrators, did I?"

"What!? But you just—"

"I only said they were involved, which could either mean directly or indirectly. Perpetrators would imply that they did it intentionally, no?"

The silence that came from Tadakatsu spoke volumes. It also served to reassure Heizou that he was most certainly on the right track to find the truth.

Now all he had to do was pick his words carefully, "Still, you guessed correctly there. They are indeed the ones who caused this incident."

"And w-what proof do you have that asserts this?"

Heizou caught on to that slight pause from Tadakatsu, but did nothing about it as he took out a piece of paper from his person, showing it for all of the Resistance members to see.

"This article should be enough proof of their involvement," Heizou declared.

"And what does that scrap of paper have to do with our discussion?"

"It details the plan of a certain group, their intentions clearly belonging to those who are willing to sacrifice themselves for a deity worshiped only on Watatsumi Island. Now, do you really think it's possible individuals from the Shogunate could have written this?"

"Humph, just because of that? How are we to believe that you did not simply forge this fake evidence?" Tadakatsu pointed out.

Without missing a beat, Heizou quickly came up with an explanation, "I don't see the point in doing such a thing, but let's say we take your words as reality. Does the name Nathan ring any bells to you?"

Though there were many who held no response to what he had just spoken of, there were noticeably a few that proved otherwise.

"Nathan? Now that the guy mentioned it...didn't I see him just now?"

Some looked around, but the relative silence confirmed to Heizou that the person in question was not present. Still, the Doushin gave no hints of being worried, seeing that he had predicted this outcome.

Tadakatsu was undeterred, "And what does he have to do with this matter?"

"Well, it just so happens that his name is written right here, and it clearly states that without his instruction, the group that caused the Tatarigami to be unsealed would have no idea how to do so. Now, if I were the one who truly wrote this note, then how exactly would I know someone like that? After all, he can only be a member from your side, correct?"

Murmurs and whispers arose once again, questioning one another to seek out the truth, convinced by the reasoning that Heizou had given out.

Still, Heizou paid no attention to them, except for two individuals in particular; Tadakatsu, whose indifferent mask was slipping by the second and Kouzen, whose eyes were focusing too much on the ground after hearing his explanation.

Just as Tadakatsu opened his mouth, presumably wanting Heizou to hand over the note to the man. The Doushin decided to speed things up by speaking first, "Since this Nathan isn't here with us, then we should ask the ones who were acting under his instruction. Would you mind explaining for your group, Kouzen?"

All eyes immediately turned to the still distraught Sangonomiya soldiers, only now registering that Heizou was addressing him, "That's—"

"Unless you can prove otherwise, I strongly recommend you start talking. Now," Heizou spoke firmly.

Though the Doushin stared at him with anything but malice, Kouzen immediately realized the immense pressure that came out from Heizou, one that he had never experienced in a conversation until now.

How could he, a warrior who had stood on the battlefield, be terrified of a hunting dog from the Tenryou Commission?

As if he had no choice but to comply, Kouzen's mouth began to open, prompting a response from visibly worried Tadakatsu, "Kouzen, there is nothing you should—"

"I will admit to it, that I and my comrades were the ones who broke the seal to the Tatarigami," Kouzen confessed whole-heartedly.

There was a moment of pause coming not just from Tadakatsu, but to the others as well, seemingly because most of them did not truly believe in Heizou's assertion until this moment in time.

"...Kouzen, what is the meaning of this?" Tadakatsu asked, breaking the silence.

Kouzen clutched the right side of his chest firmly,"I can't deny what is the truth. My pride as a warrior has already been torn to shreds, but at the very least, I do want to keep what little dignity there is left."

"It deserves recognition. At the very least, you have a healthier mindset than a lot of criminals I've caught in my career," Heizou stated as he stepped in between the two, his eyes now focused solely on Tadakatsu, "With this fact established, you can't deny their involvement now can you? "

"...very well. I applaud you in solving this incident, but beyond this point, it is only up to us to decide what to do with them. If you had any thoughts of bringing them back to the Tenryou Commission, then you're sorely mistaken."

In one move, the mood around them shifted back to one of animosity, in particular towards Heizou, whose alliance did not belong to the Resistance.

Still, Heizou remained calm in spite of the animosity directed towards him.

"I don't. Regardless of what I and a few others found out, it doesn't mean that I have any authority to reign them in, as it is out of my jurisdiction. I am just searching for the truth so that the real evil would emerge," Heizou said, shrugging all the while.

Then, his demeanour shifted to one of seriousness, "However...the whole truth has not been revealed, and the evil that lurks around has not been exposed either, so my job is not over just yet."

"What are you insinuating here? I will say this as many times as needed, but this matter is already finished. As unfortunate as it is, there is nothing that can be done with the release of the seals, and Kouzen along with the others have been exposed as the culprits, leaving this matter to us, and not you, Doushin," Tadakatsu argued back.

"See, this is where I have to disagree, on both of your statements. For one, the matter with the Tatarigami is currently being handled by two of my associates, and with any luck, everything should go back to normal some time soon. Second, I never said they were the only perpetrators, did I?"

The piercing stares surrounding him died down, instead replaced by curiosity and anxiety at what Heizou was about to say next.

Only Tadakatsu dared to ask him the meaning of his words, "This is ridiculous. I don't know what your current goals are, but we refuse to indulge you any longer, Doushin."

Just as Tadakatsu was about to leave the conversation, Heizou pulled the man back in with one question.

"...Then pray tell, how exactly was it that Kouzen and his group were able to break three seals in such a short amount of time?"

Tadakatsu stopped, before giving him a look of disappointment, "I was wondering what you would say, but you give me this nonsense? You've already asserted that they were instructed by Nathan, then they were simply given the information on the location of each of the seals. After that, they simply follow a single route until the last seal. Isn't that right, Kouzen?"

The person in question nodded in silence, agreeing, as well as the other men who were involved in the breaking of the seals.

Heizou, however, disagreed, "You would be right, if it wasn't for the timing."

"T-timing?"

"You see, thanks to a friend of mine I was able to ascertain the exact moment the first seal was broken, and before you ask, it was at noon."

"So what?"

"Enlighten me, when exactly did the rain on this island begin to pour so heavily that even now, it hasn't stopped?" Heizou asked not just to Tadakatsu, but to everyone else in the vicinity.

The whispering amongst the many heads turning towards one another was all the confirmation that Heizou needed, which just so happened to have the opposite effect on Tadakatsu, who was clearly annoyed by the development of the situation.

Just a bit more, then this would all be over.

"Now tell me, how is it that Kouzen and his group were able to travel all from this base to Jakotsu Mines in the timespan of half a day, considering that the bad weather would obviously obscure their view while they travel?"

"This island is the base of our operations, so possessing the knowledge in regards to the location of the three seals is a simple enough matter for us," Tadakatsu argued hastily.

"Then how were they able to locate the seals so quickly?"

"What?"

"With the group that I travelled with, we had a local to guide us, and Goku who is able to sense the specific source of energy that lingered because of the broken seals. This is not even mentioning Kazuha and I, who each possess a Vision of our own that allows us to sense traces of elemental energy. Even with that, and accounting the time it took for Goku and I to arrive on Yashiori Island, it still took several hours for us to travel the same distances as Kouzen and his group supposedly did." Heizou then crossed both his arms before continuing on,"But when we met them at Jakotsu mine, they clearly had been drinking for a while, evident by the empty bottle of sake at the scene. Let's be charitable and say they held a little party for an hour until my group's arrival. Even with this perspective, the time taken for them to achieve their objective is simply absurd, given that they even had enough time to put on uniforms from the Tenryou Commission."

With the attentive looks that they were giving him, Heizou supposed he should state out the truth already, "I think...no, I'm confident it's because they were not the only group tasked with breaking the seals."

Upon hearing the response, Tadakatsu looked surprised, but it lasted for no more than a moment, "I gave you the chance to speak your side, but it's clear to everyone here that you're intentionally inciting disharmony within our ranks so that you can cripple our fight against the Shogunate."

Judging from the number of glares, it would seem that some of them did not immediately trust Tadakatsu's accusation like before, which meant that his arguments were convincing to a certain extent.

Good, he might need it for what he was about to say next.

"I wouldn't know about that, since the other party I am referring to is standing right before me, right Tadakatsu?"

No sound came from any of the Resistance members, even after Heizou's statement had been registered in their mind, for they were too absorbed in the conversation at hand to dare interrupt it.

Whether any of them realized it or not, Heizou's words now contained weight; Weight that they could not ignore thanks to the Doushin's effort in explaining his train of logic in regards to the cause of spread of the Tatarigami.

Heizou immediately noticed the tight grip Tadakatsu now had on his right arm, almost like he was holding something back, "...And what makes you say that?"

"For one, you were the first one that suggested that I should be captured to extract information from me when I first arrived, remember?"

"Hmph, that's merely due to your own bias then, Doushin if that's your only reasoning."

"You're right, it isn't...but it was the first thing that caught my attention, considering your other comrades were wishing for a more...messy end in regards to my physical health."

Many hastily looked away, either out of shame or embarrassment Heizou did not know, of which he did not care for regardless. After all, one of his targets was right here, and everything else mattered little to him at the moment.

"Fine. Tell me then, what possible reasons do you have to pin me as one of the perpetrators?"

"Your acknowledgement of Kouzen and the others as a whole."

"What!? That makes no sense!"

"It doesn't, if it was an isolated case that was. Out of everyone here, you were once again the first to approach me, and also the most indifferent to my arrival compared to everyone else, care to explain?"

"That is only because I was concerned for my comrades. After all, they were following a Doushin with their face clearly defeated and weary. I couldn't just stand by and not confront you about it."

"What nice loyalty you have there, but I suppose it is a feeling that can be developed in such a time of need. However, how is it that you were able to identify the group I brought along was Kouzen and the others? Wouldn't the first thing you think of would be that your enemy had arrived, considering that they are wearing uniforms associated with the Tenryou Commission?"

"I have eyes, of course—"

Heizou cut him off, "Even ignoring that, there is one more thing that sticks out to me the most...how do you explain away your knowledge of the number of seals on the island?"

Tadakatsu took a step backwards, seemingly surprised by the question before quickly reverting back to his normal expression, though Heizou noticed a small vein popping up in the edge of his forehead.

"What. do. you. mean?" Tadakatsu questioned, gritting through his teeth in-between each word.

"Earlier, you reiterated that there were three seals, but I never mentioned the exact number, just several. So, enlighten me, how do you know this little detail?"

It was just like how he caught Tadakatsu's slip up before, only the man did not see it as such seeing that Heizou did not badger him about it, which was exactly why Heizou didn't bother earlier.

It was all so that the man would underestimate the Doushin and let down his guard. Once discussion heated up, his true thoughts would naturally come out as their discussion continued onwards.

Like right now.

"Wasn't my previous reasoning enough? With the Resistance's base of operation, it is only natural that I would know about the presence of the number of seals on the island too," Tadakatsu said, trying to defend himself.

"You say that...yet Kazuha, who has fought by your side all this time, as well as being the last heir of the Kaedahara clan, did not possess such intricate knowledge of the number of seals on the island. To me, that sounds absurd...unless everyone here can confidently say that they knew of this detail before Tadakatsu shared it with us?"

After raising this question to everyone in the area, only silence accompanied afterward. Though there were a few that protested the implication of his question, Heizou knew judging from their expression that they were just as confused as the rest, merely acting out to purely oppose Heizou and nothing more.

"Now, Tadakatsu...do you have anything that contradicts any of my arguments? If you do, I'll gladly retract my words and sincerely apologize to you if you want. However, if you don't..."

"This is ridiculous. You are pointing your fingers towards me because I misspoke!? I have had enough of this conversation for the last time," Tadakatsu rebutted, swiping his right hand at the empty air before turning his back towards Heizou.

"Oh, are you running away again? Here I thought that as comrades forged from the steel of battle that you would never abandon them no matter the circumstance."

The man did not even stop to look back, "I will not fall for your taunt, Doushin. Here, I thought you would be different compared to the rest."

"Reality doesn't always line up with your expectations. Speaking of, I will confess that I expected better from those that are opposing the Vision Hunt Decree since they even went out of their way to revive their deity, yet were unable to take responsibility for their own actions just because it didn't go as expected."

The sound of footsteps stopped, with Tadakatsu simply standing still right after Heizou was finished. Judging by the stillness of the man's posture, it was obvious that Tadakatsu's mind was carefully considering each and every one of Heizou's words.

In his field of work, the guilty are not swayed by evidence unless they were in a controlled environment, such as the court. That was why hitting them at their core as a person was more effective overall.

That, and the occasional use of brute force.

There was a deep yet defeated sigh before Tadakatsu turned to face Heizou, "...Fine, you win Doushin. I shall admit to my involvement, as I was the one who organized this plan to destroy the pillars, just so that we may see our Omikami in the flesh once more."

"Which evidently did not happen."

"It was not what we expected at all. With the way Nathan explained it, and with our own beliefs in our Omikami, we were sure that he would be returned to us once more to oppose the Raiden Shogun. If only...if only—"

Heizou provided no comment on that particular subject. Though he had captured criminals before, fanatics were ones that he could never truly say he completely understood.

Contrary to the expectations of his job, it was better off he didn't.

Right now, there was still one piece of the puzzle missing, and Heizou was intending to get to the bottom of it.

"I'm not the one who is going to render judgement on what you've done, I'll let the consequences of your own actions speak for themselves. Right now, I require you to answer one last question."

"Do what you want, Doushin. I see no point in resisting anymore," Tadakatsu answered in a defeated tone.

Heizou smirked for a moment, before uttering one single question.

"Who is Nathan?"

From the expression that Tadakatsu was now sporting, the question no doubt took him by surprise, prompting the man to respond in confusion, "What do you mean? He's merely one of our comrades in the Resistance. Though he was the one who gave us the instructions for the inner workings of the seals, it was still our idea as a group."

"I believe my question was quite clear but I guess I should clarify...do you really know who Nathan is?"

The way Heizou phrased it unnerves Tadakatsu, not unlike a predator closing into their prey...

Was this what a normal Doushin was like?

"Don't be ridiculous you bastard, Nathan has been with us early on in our fight against the Shogunate. He may look a bit plain but we consider him as much of a brother as anyone else here!" Kouzen yelled from the side, strength returning to his voice.

Heizou immediately honed in on him,"Oh, you're finally willing to talk about Nathan now are you Kouzen?"

"Tch! If it weren't enough that you humiliated all of us here, now you intend to frame Nathan as well, Doushin!?"

Despite the outburst, Heizou remained composed, "Are you still trying to hide the true perpetrator? I'll tell you now, I'm only asking for confirmation, seeing as I already figured out who this Nathan is."

And just with a few words, all the fire that Kouzen had reignited was put out just like that, "How—"

"It's no big reveal. After all, Nathan was the one following me until now, and the name he chose to take up was quite blatant, considering he named himself—"

"Kuhaku."

Kuhaku flinched as he stood amidst the darkness of the woods, his eyes finding the lone samurai, Kaedahara Kazuha staring at him with such intensity that it triggered his survival instinct upon eye contact.

"...or should I say Nathan? Even then, I believe that is not your true name either, correct?"

Cautious, the man smiled awkwardly as he acknowledged Kazuha's presence, "Mr. Kazuha, I think there's a misunderstanding here. My name is Kuhaku, I know it's a weird one but..."

"You're not telling the truth," Kazuha stated affirmatively, as if he already saw through the ruse that the man had put on for so many months.

The man could feel his heart burst out, but he needed to remain calm no matter what. For now, there was a possibility Kazuha was simply bluffing and merely prodding him just to find Nathan. All he had to do was—

"And now your heart paced itself several times faster," Kazuha said once more, taking a single step forward.

How?

Hhoow!?

HHoOOOoOOWwW!?

Vision wielder or not, it shouldn't be possible for anyone to be this perceptive, even if he himself had not realized this slip-up. After all the training the man had gone through, going far and above for everything that he believed in, there was no way that he would be caught in this land of eternity.

"Kuhaku, if you have anything that can prove to me otherwise, then I shall apologize for my rudeness and forwardness. However, if you have nothing to say in your defense then I will consider Heizou's assumption to be correct."

"...heh."

At the remark, Kazuha said nothing, merely silently observe Kuhaku's next move.

"To think that I would be outed just because a couple of tourists decided to investigate what transpired on this island," the man said, dropping the facade he had as Kuhaku.

So far, this has been going within expectations, "Was it also your plan to join us during the investigation?"

"Indeed, and I had every intention of hindering you all every step of the way...if only that damn Heizou wasn't so wary of me."

The man knew, even on a subconscious level, that the Doushin was suspicious of his presence from the very beginning. Heizou appeared amiable at first, which was what made him believe he could easily disrupt their investigation and led them astray. The longer he involved himself, the more the man realized that it was futile no matter what he did. Even when he decided to help Heizou out to grab one of the components to the seal, the Doushin did not let down his guard for even a moment.

This was what led him to flee almost immediately the moment they returned to the Resistance camp, desperately hoping he could escape before Heizou could catch up to him. What he didn't expect was that it was Kazuha who had tracked him down in the Doushin's stead.

"I shall give you two choices. Either come with me back to the base peacefully or I do it by force," Kazuha stated, his tone steadied yet firm.

The man instinctively knew...that what Kazuha exuded wasn't just confidence, but certainty.

If there was one silver lining from this disaster, it was that the man was able to leave a message behind for his true comrades, hoping that the next person who would carry on his task would be able to continue contributing to their goal.

Nevertheless, the man known neither as Nathan nor Kuhaku would fight against the samurai, even if his avenues for escape had long been sealed. He would rather die than betray his own, for it was all for the sake of his nation.

Red light shone on his person, causing flickers of fire to ignite before the man leapt towards Kazuha with killer intent.

Despite witnessing the sudden yet strange manipulation of pyro, Kazuha did not falter in the slightest as he began readying his stance, with only two words for his opponent.

"Poorly chosen."

The last thing the man saw amidst the dreary night sky was the shadow of a blade inching ever so closer from the corner of his vision.

"By now, I'm sure Kazuha has already tracked him down, and is currently bringing him back here so that we can determine his true goal," Heizou stated, having finished explaining Kazuha's involvement and Nathan's current whereabouts to the members of the Resistance.

Despite Heizou having figured out who the true instigator was, he was no doubt still in the dark on Nathan's real purpose for breaking the seals.

It couldn't have been done due to pure malice, nor because he was a spy from the Tenryou Commission. No...it had to be something deeper, one that was probably out of jurisdiction as a mere Doushin. If his hunch turned out to be true, then this might be bigger than just conflict within Inazuma.

Heizou smirked as he disregarded the idea of leaving it alone, knowing that he would never let such evil lurk behind the shadows of Inazuma so freely.

It was what he swore to himself after all.

"H-how did you figure it out? We've only spoken twice yet you figured that I was the one who spearheaded the operation to destroy the seals," Tadakatsu said, almost resigned to what had transpired so far.

If Heizou had to be honest, he didn't have absolute proof of Tadakatsu's involvement. One could say it was his intuition and a bit of connecting the dots that led him to this conclusion. If this was a court of law, he doubted that the evidence he presented would be solid enough to convict someone of their crime.

However, this was not the court, nor did he need to act in accordance with the laws dictated by the Tri-Commission. Thus, he simply tried one of the simplest techniques he knew of.

Bait the real culprit out.

Humans were complex beings. Even with all the planning and preparations in the world, the smallest gaps will always appear. One merely has to find them, and exploit them to the best of their abilities. In the end, it worked out in his favor...which was something that he didn't need to explain to Tadakatsu.

"It's nothing complex. Just a bit of deductioning and following the right trail," Heizou explained nonchalantly.

Though Tadakatsu was left unsatisfied with the answer, he had no further inquiries, lest he dishonor himself even more.

With his piece said, Heizou realized that it was just about time for Kazuha's arrival.

It was sort of like those mystery novels that his coworkers talked about before...something about revealing the true culprit for all to see at the climax of the story.

Heizou was bemused at the idea when he heard of it at the time, but it wouldn't hurt to try it himself, seeing that the opportunity had presented itself for him to do so.

With a gesture of both his hands, catching the attention of the Resistance members, "Now then, it would seem our star for tonight is about to reveal themselves just about...now."

The majority of the people followed along the general direction Heizou was pointing to, with the ones closest to said direction, peeking even further than many of them ever could.

Then, one of them began to shout in disbelief upon seeing the individuals walking to the entrance of the base.

"It's General Gorou, along with a soldier from the Shogun's Army beside him!"

What was once unified silence turned into loud frenzy, forgetting Heizou's earlier proclamation as they were too preoccupied with this new piece of information.

Heizou could only shake his head at his failed attempt. Indeed, fiction can never really align with reality, for they were two different matters after all.

Those were the thoughts of one Shikanoin Heizou as he moved both his legs to see what new event awaited him.

Kaji was a simple man.

He had lived all his life on Yashiori Island, living life the best he knew ever since he was but a small child. As life went on, he turned from a boy to a man, now having a family of his own as he hoped for the days to continue on peacefully.

But then, everything changed when the Vision Hunt Decree was enacted. After it was established, the peaceful life that he had slowly but surely eroded before his very eyes. When he realized that the Tatarigami had been released from the seals, it was a moment that spelt nothing but despair for him as it wouldn't be long until this whole island itself would become inhospitable for any living beings, much less humans.

The only reason he was still here trying to fix the seals to the Tatarigami was because he saw a glimmer of hope when a strange group of people came to investigate the seals as well.

So…why was it then?

Why was he visibly shaking at the sight of Goku, who was from said group?

Was it because the young martial artist was currently fighting the Maguu Kenki with such ease that it seemed unreal to him?

It sounded ridiculous, didn't it?

The fact that a regular human without a Vision of his own was fighting one of the relics made from a turbulent yet chaotic era to the relative peace time that Inazuma had, at least until the civil war occurred.

No matter how much he blinked or rubbed his eyes, Kaji he could not deny what he was seeing, and that…frightened him. Eventhough Kaji knew that the young man had defeated the monstrous scorpion just earlier today, that piece of knowledge did not sink…until he saw something akin to it himself.

His mind already in a frenzy, Kaji concluded that Son Goku was one of two things.

A human with monstrous strength… or a monster disguised as a human.

He honestly did not know which possibility shook him more, as all he could do was watch with rapt attention as the battle raged on.

Goku felt the cool water splashed on the right side of cheek as he dodged another downward slash from his opponent.

A split second later, the Maguu Kenki was sent flying backwards by Goku's left hook, which was further enhanced by the small explosion of wind following right after impact.

Though there was noticeable damage, seeing that bits of its pieces fell from the attack he sent out just now, it wasn't enough to hinder his opponent in any meaningful way. This might have been attributed to the fact that his opponent can somewhat control the wind just like he could, so it wasn't as effective as it could be on anyone else.

Elements were weird.

Before his thoughts could delve more into the intricacies in regards to the rules of this world, his opponent took up an iaido stance, one he had seen all too many times already...

However, there was a slight difference this time around.

While the posture and movement of the automaton remained the same, the deciding difference was on everything around it.

The air itself.

Goku only realized this fact after he could feel himself slowly being pulled towards the automaton's general location due to the sudden shift of wind in the air, almost like a vortex trying to suck him into the eye of the storm.

Whatever it was planning, Goku was ready to face it head on as he let his entire body lifted up into the air.

This was not only to satiate his curiosity, but to ensure that he got good training out of it. There was no point if he didn't learn anything from this fight, and he very much intended to absorb as much as he could, specifically the sword style of the automaton.

It wasn't an exact replica of the style that Raiden utilized with her swordsmanship, but there were enough similarities that Goku figured out that they share the same foundation. This realization was what led him to fight the automaton with the intention of letting it use every technique it had in its arsenal.

If he needed to be baited into it, then he gladly welcomed it.

Once Goku was within the range of the automaton's blade, it immediately swung the weapon in a large arc, with anemo energy twirling around the edge of the blade as it spread around the area.

In response, Goku flickered both his wrists in quick succession, before blasting a burst of air towards the water surface beneath him. In doing so, it pushed him upwards, dodging the attack at the very last moment.

What Goku didn't see coming was that the automaton was not quite done with its assault yet, as he felt a sudden shift in the temperature below him.

At the very moment it finished its wide slash, a clone made entirely out of cryo energy formed right beside it, its form solid enough to exist, but formless enough for the real automaton's limb to go straight past it.

Then, the clone attacked from below.

It was a slash emboldened by cryo, with trails of ice following along the trajectory of the arc of the attack.

Unable to form a proper counterattack in time, Goku could only put both his arms up as the slash connected to its intended target, causing the martial artist to be flung aside mid-air.

Usually, he would be able to rebalance himself before landing back on the ground, but the extra sheathe of ice was heavy enough that he was unable to adjust in time from the sudden weight. Before he knew it, his entire body had crashed onto the watery surface...with an unexpected caveat.

Somehow, the block of ice that had lingered on his arms quickly formed into a bigger one upon contact with water, thus forming one that now trapped his upper body, grounding him in place.

With Goku's mobility being limited, the Maguu Kenki and its clone separated with one another, before elemental energy began to gather around their blade once more.

It was only when enough of it had been collected they both swung their blades at the air simultaneously.

Normally, the tip of the blade would hit nothing but the air. However, the concentrated elemental energy transformed their swings into wide arcs of elemental energy being shot forward instead.

Basically, it was a technique that was used for hitting an opponent from afar, and Goku just so happened to be the perfect target considering the precarious situation he was in.

With the incoming threat, Goku did the one thing he knew would work...and that was to breathe in deeply, before letting loose everything he had from within.

"HAAAH!"

With a single intense shout, he quickly broke free of his prison as shards of ice blasted off in all directions due to the sudden burst of strength.

After jumping from back to feet, Goku already had a course of action planned upon the ever loomings slashes of elemental energy heading towards him.

Facing them head on with such little time to prepare was a no-go, having just experienced the cold sensation that came about from one such technique earlier, and the wind accompanying it would spread the ice even further than before.

Guessed he will just have to go with the easy route then.

Goku leaned to his left as he dashed forward, easily dodging one of the elemental slashes heading towards his way.

It wasn't just the one either, as Goku continued doing so with each and every one of them, whether it be sliding under them or jumping over them. Despite all that, he had never once stopped even for an instant, as he continued to move towards the automaton and its clone with great ease.

To him, those swings may as well have been moving in slow motion.

Once he was within suitable distance, Goku leapt towards the clone instead of the real automaton, which did not prompt a reaction from either of his opponents.

If the clone really was made from elemental energy, then his assumption on how this would work should go well. His confidence wasn't based merely on guesswork either, but due to the experience he had already accumulated with a certain water construct before. While it wasn't guaranteed to work, the martial artist also saw no harm in trying it out either.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all.

With a flick of his right wrist, wind swirled around his fingertips as he reached towards the clone. Instead of attacking the clone outright, Goku merely sweeped his right hand across it. In doing so, the clone slowly faded as bits of elemental energy flowed into Goku's right hand.

Once the clone had disappeared entirely, cryo energy now swirled within Goku's palm, barely contained by the pressure of wind surrounding it. While it worked out well, the martial artist also knew that he couldn't hold onto this ball of energy for long, lest the ever cold sensation overtake him, which would result in the destabilization of the technique as a whole.

Now, he just needed to toss it towards his opponent.

Unfortunately, the Maguu Kenki had already taken up a defensive stance, presumably because it predicted that Goku would immediately strike right after.

It wasn't wrong, as the martial artist was not changing the initial plan either. He just needed to add one extra step to the process, that's all.

Goku then began spinning in place, as the automaton merely waited for a chance to strike back. It did not take any longer than three seconds before he finally stopped, his left outstretched as it formed into a fist towards the Maguu Kenki.

Then, the guard that the mechanical samurai held was broken from a sudden invisible pressure applied on its wrist, causing the sword to slip away from its grasp.

Before it could even try to reach for its weapon again, Goku had already fired off the real attack.

A ball of energy burst forth, leaving trails of gust in its wake as it headed straight forward with only one target in mind Upon impact, a giant sheathe of ice spread over the area, one tens of times bigger than the one the martial artist was hit with, effectively freezing the Maguu Kenki in place.

Eventhough there was no signs of it breaking out, Goku waited for a moment just to be sure that it was safe, before casually walking closer to observe his now frozen opponent, giving it another look to further examined the condition of his opponent.

Evidently, the lack of any kind of cracks forming meant that his last attack had worked, which made Goku give another to his right hand; the very one that held the combined energy just now.

It wasn't a technique he could use with little to no preparation, and the situation that even allowed him to use the technique in the first place was completely dependent on his opponent's elemental energy.

In essence, it was strong but neither consistent nor reliable.

Still, it was something he could work with. Plus, every tough opponent he had fought so far possessed the ability to manipulate elemental energy, so he was bound to rely on it again when the time came.

"I can't believe you beat that thing!" the man known as Kaji yelled out, running towards the still contemplative Goku.

The martial artist gave him an easygoing smile in return, "Ehehe, it was easier than I thought it would be."

Kaji's mouth was wide open at the confident statement, "Seriously!? I'm starting to really think you're not even human at this point."

Goku's only retort was to awkwardly scratch his left cheek, before turning his attention to the stone lantern, which was surprisingly still intact, "Anyway, we can go and fix up the seal thing now right?"

"...Yeah, might as well get this over with as quickly as possible. Don't want to think about what would happen if that thing breaks free," Kaji said, pointing his thumb at the immobilized automaton..

"It'll probably be—"

Goku was cut off as his expression quickly changed into one of alert. Before Kaji even realized it, he had been scooped up from the ground and carried off by the martial artist as they now moved towards a safe location.

As Kaji was being transported, he looked confused on what was going on…until he saw the giant sheathe of ice begin to crack. Little by little, more cracks appeared to show on the gigantic block of ice.

Then, it shattered all at once.

As pieces of the ice fell from the sudden collapse, Kaji squinted his eyes to see what occurred to the mechanical samurai, secretly hoping that it was destroyed even if it seemed unlikely. It did not take him long to find out as it emerged from its former prison, with one noticeable change in its appearance.

A dark aura now surrounded the automaton, one so thick that Kaji could no longer see its attire clearly.

Kaji quickly realized what was going on, "It's the Tatarigami! How could it...is it because the other pillars have been sealed, causing the curse to be concentrated only in this area!?"

"So you're saying it's made that thing much stronger right?" Goku asked curiously, not even the slightest bit shaken up by this new development.

Kaji could only stare at the martial artist in bewilderment, because he could have sworn there was an excited tone in Goku's voice.

"I'm not the one who fought something like this before, that's you remember!?" Kaji yelled out, less so angered and more so out of worry.

Once they landed on a safer area, Kaji only had one thing in his mind once his feet touched the wet body of water.

"So, how is it compared to the other monster you fought?"

If that thing was even remotely as dangerous as the rampaging beast they saw earlier, then this situation was much more dire than he expected.

"Well...it's a lot stronger than that big scorpion that's for sure," Goku remarked casually.

Even without possessing a Vision, even Kaji knew what the martial artist stated was correct, "...Then we should retreat for now. As much as I hate to admit it, the Tatarigami affecting the Maguu Kenki might be too much for us to handle."

"Nah," Goku said confidently.

"Huh?"

It was no exaggeration to say Kaji was dumbfounded to say the least, especially because Goku still maintained the same old attitude and confidence as he always had. It was as if nothing ever truly bothered the young man no matter the situation. At this point, Kaji honestly could not tell if it was just sheer confidence or sheer ignorance.

"It'll be fine. All I gotta do is just beat it right?"

Before Kaji could even get a word in, Goku had already dashed off towards the direction of the now cursed Maguu Kenki, eager to do battle with it once more.

As Goku moved ever closer to the motionless Maguu Kenki, his thoughts were swirling with one thing.

It was not on how to beat the mechanical puppet as quickly as possible.

It definitely was not on how to seal the Tatarigami that had been the cause of all these issues popping up on the island.

His only thought was on evaluating the current strength of his opponent, who had received this newfound power.

Goku could feel it from the way its aura radiated, his senses screaming at him that this wasn't right. It was like a deep pool of energy that only went darker and darker the longer he sensed its energy, exactly like the Tatarigami.

Rather than being scared, Goku's excitement was off the roof!

He didn't know what was compelling him to fight with such eagerness, but he could not hold his desires back any longer.

It was the same feeling he had when he was fighting Raiden, and for a split moment, Goku wondered if he had always been this excited about fighting someone strong?

Upon noticing his re-arrival, the mechanical puppet immediately went into work, as it greeted Goku with a dash, its movement skidding across the surface of water.

In a flash, it has already arrived at his general location, its sword held up high before swinging it down heavily on Goku.

Not afraid of direct confrontation, Goku gave a good twist to his right wrist before countering with a punch of his own, colliding with the edge of the blade.

It did not take even a fraction of a second upon impact that Goku quickly strengthened his punch even further, causing the wind to roar wildly against the blackened current of wind that was flowing from its blade.

Goku did not decide to do this on a whim. Rather, it was because his fist needed to match up with the current strength of his opponent. If this was just a taste of its cursed strength, then there was no point in holding back anymore.

And Goku couldn't be more thrilled by it.

The opposing forces were so evenly matched that it canceled out one another, to the point that the resulting wind current dissipated completely, forcing the two to back away from the sudden recoil.

Even when the automaton was suddenly pushed away, the circumstance did not hinder its assault as an elemental clone popped into existence, its sword already preparing to strike the martial artist.

Despite the sudden instability, Goku was able to plant both his feet firmly back onto the watery area, recovering his footing back faster than the real Maguu Kenki.

He didn't even pay the clone any mind as he simply leaned to the side as the strong winds brushed past him, before shooting himself forward towards the mechanical automaton.

With it still reeling from the impact earlier, Goku leapt into the air before spinning wildly in the air. The mechanical samurai was then flung to the side with a single kick towards its left shoulder, causing it to skid across the watery surface over a sizable distance.

However, what was out of left field for Goku was the emergence of another clone replacing the original that was standing in the same position before.

Then, it swung its blade in a horizontal arc.

In any normal circumstances, Goku would have simply taken on the attack but the newest clone was clearly made from cryo energy, considering the cold sensation that his skin was feeling just from being near its presence. Thus, Goku took another option, dodging it by continuously spinning right after kicking the original, causing the swing to miss entirely as Goku was positioned right above the attack.

Turning his wrist around, Goku then punched the air towards the clone, blasting it while spiraling himself backwards before landing back onto the ground.

As Goku stood there ready, his eyes taking note of everything in front of him, knowing that he was now surrounded by three opponents instead of one.

It was certainly a new experience, that was for sure.

On his left was the same clone he had brushed off moments ago, its body made of nothing but the energy of anemo.

To his right was the newest clone that had attempted to strike him down, its form still strangely solid despite being struck by his attack just now. It's probably due to the real one's stronger control of energy, thus its clones having a stronger presence compared to before.

Speaking of the original, Goku looked straight towards it as it stood in the middle between the two replicas, its dark aura as thick as ever, staring down at him with no emotion.

The martial artist didn't need to understand the look it gave off, because he already knew it was going to do everything in its power just to put him down.

Once again, he could only feel his heart beating ever faster out of excitement just at the implications alone..

With an uncontrollable smile on his face, Goku charged forward.

If what Kaji saw earlier was absurd, then what he was witnessing right now was just plain impossible.

The young man, Goku had three hulking figures towering over him, assaulting with attacks after attacks relentlessly. The attack ranges from elemental cuts being hurled at various angles, to combinations of slashes with different elemental energy.

With this many opponents, any normal person would think it would be a one-sided fight just from hearing the circumstances alone. Yet, the martial artist proved that notion wrong by countering each and every one of their attacks just fine, either through the use of simply evading it outright by phasing out of Kaji's line of sight or striking back with a technique of his own.

Kaji could no longer see Goku as someone comparable to Vision wielders, but one who was above even those blessed by the Gods themselves.

He didn't dare to take his eyes from the battle, even if he couldn't follow every movement that was occuring in the battle. He wondered if this was what battles were like during the ages of old.

What topped them all however, was Goku's expression.

Even from this distance, Kaji was able to take in the one instance he saw Goku appear within eyesight, and saw that the martial artist was grinning out of all things, almost as if the Maguu Kenki wasn't worth fighting seriously before.

Contrary to his carefree and nonchalant appearance, did Goku enjoy the thrill of combat this much?

Kaji would never have guessed it, and the more he saw the martial artist engaged with the mechanical automaton alongside its two clones, the less the man was convinced that Goku was even human. Heck, he doubted the young man was a youkai either.

His whirlwind of thoughts stopped as he strangely became unwell the moment blackened currents of wind swirled towards the Maguu Kenki.

Whatever was going to happen next, he knew that it spelled anything but good.

Goku could only jump from side to side as the two clones attacked him relentlessly from a distance.

The combination of cryo freezing the water and anemo spreading the freshly formed chunk of ice into a wider area was one he didn't underestimate, as one little mistake could push him into an unfavorable position.

While he could certainly try absorbing one of the elemental clones like he did earlier, the martial artist knew it was pointless to do so this time around, seeing that their presence was much more solid, unlike before. If he were to attempt such a thing, then it would most likely take his full concentration and time…time that one of them could take advantage of while he was fully preoccupied.

Besides, Goku already had another idea in hand, one that was just as unstable as the technique he tried before, perhaps even more so.

He was just waiting for the right moment to execute his idea.

Still, he did notice there was something different in regards to the movement of the original automaton, who was the only one not attacking him. Unlike its copies, it was visibly gathering some kind of energy as the dark aura around it continued to fluctuate, presumably for a big attack of some kind while the clones distract him in the meanwhile. There was one other detail that also interested Goku, and it was that the mechanical automaton had summoned another blade, making it have one weapon in each of its hands.

Even in the face of this new development, Goku couldn't be more eager to face off with it, even with another elemental wave coming his way. With a gigantic stomp on the ground, water gushed out from below, acting as a medium between him and the incoming cryo attack.

Instead of being outright destroyed, the water was frozen over, solidifying itself right in front of Goku.

Just as it was formed however, the elemental cut made in the form of anemo energy followed suit, destroying parts of it almost immediately.

This did not hinder Goku's plan, as he simply continued stomping on the watery surface several more times, reinforcing the block of ice as the wave of elemental slices continued to barrage him from afar, until finally…

A gigantic ice barrier now stood between him and his opponents.

It did not crumble under the wave of attacks, as merely small pieces of it fell while the wave of attacks continued on. Despite the stronger foundation, it was clear to any observer that even this would not last for long, but to Goku that didn't matter.

Having bought himself a few seconds, the martial artist set his own plans into motion.

Clasping his fingertips together, small bursts of lightning begin to gather around them, until it whipped around wildly the moment Goku fully charged the technique.

Instead of immediately attacking, the martial artist merely waited.

The very instant the wall of ice had broken down was the signal that Goku needed, as sparks immediately flew in a straight line towards the location of his opponents. Right before it struck the target in the middle, the lightning trail separated into three, hitting them altogether simultaneously.

The clones were noticeably affected by the lightning coursing through its elemental forms as parts of them temporarily dissolved, before reforming back again.

Seeing this, Goku increased the intensity of the technique, until the forms of the clones could no longer be seen, leaving behind nothing but lingering elemental energy into the air.

This left only the real one for him to handle, and Goku doubted that it was going to be as one-sidedly defeated as its clones.

He was proven to be right as the black aura spiked in intensity in spite of the trails of lightning permeating throughout its body. Even if it was affected by the technique, the Maguu Kenki showed no signs of such as it continued building up energy.

From the way it held itself, there was no doubt in Goku's mind that it was intending to finish this fight in one final attack, which he was all too happy to do as well.

Goku then did something he never did before; he pulled back both his arms, bringing along the lightning trail with him.

It was something that he had thought about before ever since he imitated this technique that was used during the finals at the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. At the time, his opponent was able to disperse lightning that not only halted his movement, but also lifted him up in the air as his entire body ached from the pain.

If the technique could move the opponent's position, then wouldn't that mean he would be able to pull them in as well?

Meeting his expectations, the lightning trail did in fact pull the Maguu Kenki towards him, albeit at a slow pace, seeing as there was resistance coming from his opponent.

Despite being continuously struck by trails of lightning, the Maguu Kenki was poised to attack him even now, its stare emotionless, yet Goku could almost feel the absolute focus they laid behind them.

Heh, he was already excited to begin with, now it was at its peak!

But then, something unexpected happened. As he blinked, the image of the cursed automaton was replaced with the Raiden Shogun, who looked as imposing and powerful as ever...to the point that it reminded him of the last moments in the battle with her.

Without him noticing, his eyes focused squarely on the supposed Shogun and nothing else. This served to fuel his excitement and eagerness beyond even what he thought was possible, as the strength of the lightning trail pulled his opponent even faster than before

Within mere moments, the two were now standing a mere few steps between one another.

The first one to make a move was his opponent, as they quickly raised their sword high up into the air, darkness swelling all in one small area, prompting Goku to respond in kind.

It was a technique he had never considered before...until he realized it in this very fight, and that was...

Lightning trails burst forth in all sorts of directions, before half of it was pushed inwards by an intense wind current. In a split second, Goku's left hand now grasped a spark of lightning in the form of an orb, with torrents of wind supporting its form and stability.

For every passing moment he held it in his left hand, Goku could feel his skin being burnt and slice at the slightest twitch of his fingers, meaning he could not hold this technique for any longer than a few seconds at most.

Thankfully, he didn't need to.

The imagined Shogun then swung her sword downwards, with lightning crackling under the intensity, alongside the torrent of darkened winds coming down on him.

At the very last second before impact, Goku whipped his right hand to the side, causing the swing to tilt slightly to the left due to the pull of the lightning that remained in Goku's control.

Then, Goku swung his left fist with every ounce of his strength that he could muster.

Captain Beidou of the Crux planted her feet firmly as the ship swayed wildly due to the sudden strong blast of wind coming out of nowhere. The rest of the crew were not as sure-footed, with many of them falling down as a result.

Wondering what had just occurred, All eyes turned to the source of the disturbance, and every one of them was flabbergasted by what they saw, including Beidou herself.

Right on the middle of ocean was a gigantic vortex of wind, rising upwards so visibly that every one of the crew members could see even from this distance, but what was more unorthodox was the lightning spiking from within the vortex, drenching the surrounding of the phenomenon with hundreds of flashes.

After that, the lights slowly fizzled out, until the scenery changed back to what it was before, as if nothing out of the ordinary had over transpired.

It was uneasy enough with the storm and rain pouring over Yashiori Island, but the spontaneous bursts of strong current made it even more unusual, even for Beidou, who had seen and experienced all kinds of unusual occurrences.

Then again, there was someone who acted differently compared to the rest.

Speaking of said person...

Sangonomiya Kokomi stood in complete serenity, unbothered by the sudden intrusion a moment ago, as if she had already foresaw it coming before it even happened. What's more jarring was that amidst the many men who were scattering in a hurry to assess the situation, it was only Kokomi who had both her eyes closed in silence.

Then, the priestess's eyes opened for what seemed to be the first time since she had arrived on the Alcor.

"That is where our destination is," Kokomi stated as she pointed to a certain location that had only recently risen from beneath the ocean floors.

Beidou merely rolled her eyes in amusement, "Why am I not surprised about that?"

With everything he heard and seen of this Goku, she wasn't as surprised as one thought she would be. After all, someone in her position needed to be flexible in all kinds of situations and just roll with the punches so to speak. If not, her ship would have sunk to the deepest pits of the ocean a long time ago.

Still, there was one thing she was curious about right now...

"And what exactly makes you so sure? Is it because you made heaps of predictions to narrow down his whereabouts just like last time?"

Kokomi shook her head, "No. It was as simple as seeing it through his own eyes."

Beidou did not know whether she should take it literally or metaphorically, because either one of them had an equal chance of being true.

Beidou disregarded the thought for now as she began ordering her crew members, "Men, change directions to north-west, because that's where we're heading!"

"Aye aye, Captain!" The men roared in unison as they went into overdrive.

As Beidou continued commanding her men, Kokomi merely gazed at the direction that Goku was in, and held her breath unevenly as she mentally prepared herself for their eventual reunion.

In some ways, she still wasn't sure that her decision was going to be right one, and that troubled her even after having done so much thinking and deliberation.

"It's destroyed!" Kaji yelled out in horror as he gawked at the scattered pieces of what used to make up one of the stone lanterns.

"Yup, it's definitely gone," Goku said nonchalantly as he peeked from behind the man's shoulder.

Kaji turned around, gesturing wildly, "You idiot! Because of you, one of the seals is completely gone, now the Tatarigami is allowed to spread without any way to stop it!"

Admittedly, Goku did go too far in that last exchange with the Maguu Kenki, or an imaginary Raiden in his case, so much so that it took him a while before he could find himself cognizant of his own surroundings again.

An idea then popped up in his mind, "Why don't we just ask Raiden then?"

"What?"

"She was the one who made them, right? Then all we have to do is ask her to make one of those seals again!" Goku said excitedly, brimming with confidence at the plan.

"That wouldn't—"

Kaji cut himself off mid-sentence, as he found out that he had no words to actually refute Goku's claim. However, the idea still troubled him as there was no certainty in the chance for success either.

The man let out a grunt, "Fine. Let's say it works, what makes you think the Shogun herself would accept your request? According to you, you're the one who has not only fought her, but also clearly opposed the Vision Hunt Decree."

It didn't take Goku long to come up with an answer to Kaji's question, "Because she loves this place, isn't that enough?"

Kaji stopped in awe at not just Goku's words, but the sheer display of confidence being shown. Sure, he was already used to it considering that they had traveled for a bit, so he had gotten the gist of the martial artist's personality from their first interaction alone.

This, however, was what changed his outlook on the martial artist. Goku was not only fully assured of his own capability, but he also had the utmost confidence in others as well, even if they were enemies at the moment.

It was an invaluable trait, one that Kaji had not seen from others before

"After all, she tried to finish me off just cause she thought I was the enemy of A-eternity, so there's no way she won't do it if she knows how serious the situation is," Goku stated as if it was a matter of fact, something Kaji could not quite understand.

The fear that he had tried to hide in regards to Goku had changed to one of admiration, though he would never admit it to the martial artist aloud.

Well, it made one thing easier.

Kaji searched through his belongings, prompting Goku to look at him weirdly. It did not take more than a minute before the man presented something akin to an old piece of paper to the confused Goku, who had no idea what those drawings implied.

"Uhh..."

"It's a spear, or at least, it shows the way to make them, and that very spear was once used by the prefects of Yashiori. Heh, you can say it belonged to a famous martial artist of old," Kaji said, somewhat boasting.

"Why give it to me then?" Goku asked, not quite understanding the man's intention.

Kaji then turned around, as he gazed at the sight of Yashiori Island, "...You know, when you were fighting out there, you scared me to death, even more so than the Maguu Kenki."

Goku could not hide his surprise at Kaji's words. Was he truly that excited about fighting someone strong, so much so that it superseded every other thought in his mind?

It was a first for him to realize such a fact about himself, because he had never heard of such a thing from any of his friends even back home.

As Goku mulled over it silently, Kaji continued on, "But after seeing how you wanted to move forward despite the failure, it reminded me for all intents and purposes, you're not a bad person...in fact, you reminded me a bit on the legend of Lord Kitain so I thought that this drawing would be best left in your hands instead of mine."

"Who's Kitain?" Goku asked, scratching the back of his head.

"He's—No, it wouldn't help you even if you do hear about his story. Just know that I believe what you will do in the future will help Inazuma, even if you end up opposing the Raiden Shogun," Kaji said uncharacteristically, before looking back to Goku, "Just promise me that you'll fix what happened to Yashiori Island...my home...I-I simply want to live in peace with my family, nothing more."

"You got it, and this time, I don't intend to break my promise," Goku stated cheerfully and as confident as ever.

Somehow, Kaji was not infuriated at the careless promise, one that Goku had already broken once before, as there was just something about the martial artist that told even his pessimistic heart to trust in those words, even if by all sense and logic it shouldn't have.

"...I suppose I should take my family elsewhere for now. Even if the Tatarigami wasn't here, I know this damn war would still continue on for who knows how long."

"It won't be long. I'll make sure of it."

Kaji didn't answer, but the nod told Goku everything he needed to know.

"So, do you need me to bring you back home then?" Goku offered, seeing that they had already done everything they could about the Tatarigami.

Kaji shook his head, "I'll be fine on my own. After all, I've been living on this island since I was born. The danger here can't stop me even if it tried to kill me."

At the answer, Goku merely turned his gaze to the sea, before whipping his head back to the man, "Alright then. See ya later Kaji!"

Without any further elaboration, Goku jumped into the water, only to swim away swiftly as splashes of water exploded from his starting point, leaving Kaji alone to remain stupefied at the scene.

Kaji's eyes traveled to the direction that Goku was heading off to. From afar, Kaji could see a silhouette of a ship, and wondered if that was Goku's new destination?

Well, it wasn't any of his concern as his only priority is to get him and his family safely out of Yashiori Island.

Hopefully, if they ever met again, it would be in better circumstances.

"Captain, there's something coming straight towards us!"

Upon hearing the words of one of her men, Beidou was about to issue a command to combat the issue at hand. However...

"Worry not, it's only a friend's arrival," Kokomi stated, as calm as ever.

It took only but a moment for Beidou to understand what Kokomi meant, "Wait, are you telling me—"

Water nearby the location of the Alcor exploded as a figure jumped out from within the ocean, before proceeding to land on the deck of the ship as sprinkles of water fell down, spraying everyone on the ship.

All except Kokomi, who manipulated the incoming droplets with a single swipe of her hand, causing them to fall elsewhere.

As the rest of the crew were left to wonder what just occurred, a certain martial artist landed right in front of the Divine Priestess, who did not seem surprised in the least.

"Heya Kokomi! You sure were down there for a long time huh?" Goku asked cheerily, ignoring all the weird stares.

She smiled softly, "I suppose, and I see you've been preoccupying yourself while I was away Goku, quite a bit if what my eyes saw was correct."

The martial artist gave a wide smile at her response, "Yup! Though I might have messed up at the end there..."

"You can tell me all about it as we wait for the ship to arrive at our destination , as I too have some matters I wish to discuss with you as well," Kokomi stated.

Goku nodded, albeit somewhat slowly as he could have sworn that his ears picked up a melancholic tone coming from Kokomi.

He was probably overthinking it, right?

Chapter Text

"GYAAAAAAHHH!" Goku yelled out, wincing at the sudden splash of cold water thrown towards him.

Fortunately for the martial artist, the brief pain was immediately replaced with a wave of relief as a blue hue of light radiated from his burnt hands.

"...That was punishment for allowing your hands to get injured to such a state," Kokomi said calmly, without an ounce of irritation seeping through through her appearance.

At the moment, the two were sitting in one of the many rooms on the Alcor, with her having guided Goku to this private spot so that she could treat his injuries, as his hands were in terrible condition, so much so that the Divine Priestess did not waste even a second after they arrived.

As Kokomi's hand hovered right above Goku's, she realized they were worse than she first thought, as they were burnt all over, done so by the accumulation of cuts on both the palms of his hands.

It was not because Goku took direct damage from the Maguu Kenki. Rather, this was the result that came about from Goku's new technique, one that was no doubt powerful, but at the cost of damaging his own hands due to the instability of maintaining it properly.

To surmise, it was a double-edged sword.

Yet, the way Goku's face brightened told her otherwise, "But it was worth it. I didn't even know I could do something like that with ki. With just a bit more practice, I'm sure I can get it down."

"Even so, I would advise you from relying on this new technique of yours. If you suffered this much injury from a single attempt, then no amount of training would be able to help you if your body is unable to withstand the pressure before perfecting it."

It looked like Goku had something to say about her words, but changed his mind as another question popped up in his mind, "By the way Kokomi, how did ya know I used something I never tried before?"

"...Simple. While I was still sinking into the depths of the ocean, I was able to see things through your eyes, so I know about everything you've done ever since you woke up at Watatsumi Island."

"Ehh!? Seriously?" Goku exclaimed in disbelief.

Kokomi nodded, "Indeed. Even I myself didn't quite believe it at first, for I thought I was simply dreaming it while I was still unconscious, but once I tried closing my eyes again, I saw what you were doing...from fighting a monstrous beast to facing a mechanical puppet, then the dots connected. I have to say, it was quite dizzying trying to follow all the rapid movements you were displaying, Goku."

"So you can just see what I'm doing whenever you want?" Goku asked curiously.

Kokomi hummed. Then, to demonstrate her point, she closed both eyes before speaking once more.

"It's certainly a new experience to see myself from another person's point of view," Kokomi commented simply.

Only silence followed afterwards. Seconds ticked by, yet there was no further comment from Kokomi, which threw Goku for a loop as he lifted his right arm for a moment—

"You scratched the right side of your cheeks just now, didn't you?" she spoke suddenly.

—only for him to put it down again, "Kinda reminds me of ki sensing, but better since you can do it with anyone and anywhere."

"It only works with you."

"Huh?"

The confusion was understandable, given that one's first impression of this ability's application would be more universal, but...

"I can't do this with anyone else, it seems. No matter how hard I try to focus on any other individual, it wouldn't work...unless it's you Goku."

Even then, there were other complications that came along with it. While Kokomi could 'see' everything that Goku does, she could not 'hear' what was transpiring on the image she was concentrating on, which was why everything she had seen up until now had been guesswork on her part.

Though she hadn't quite asked about the situation in regards to those Sangonomiya samurai, she had already linked that they had a hand in unleashing the seals to the Tatarigami. It was a matter that needed to be addressed once they arrived at the Resistance camp.

For now however, she should focus back to the conversation at hand, "If I were to hazard a guess, then this might be a side-effect from treating your fatal injury."

"You mean the one I got from the Shogun?" Goku asked, pointing towards his chest, one that had been recently scarred, and still was despite the effect being completely gone at this point in time.

Though some time had passed since then, she could still remember that day so clearly, even now. Still, the reason she brought it up was because...

"I believe the method that I used to enter your dream might be the cause of this link we now share."

Before she explained any further, Kokomi whipped out a tear-like droplet into existence as it floated mid-air, with one thing that stuck out clearly even to Goku.

It was the red dash of blood that was positioned right in the center.

"Hmmmm, I feel like I've seen this little fella before..." Goku said, squinting his right eyes as he stared at the hydro construct in contemplation.

"It's the crystallized tear that you brought me from your outing with Tsuyuko, if you can recall."

"Oh yeah! Man, I didn't know you could control it like this Kokomi," Goku exclaimed in realization, tapping the palm of hand with his other fist.

She nodded in agreement, "Indeed, and it has an interesting property...in that it has the ability to push away or repel anything it touches."

Even now, Kokomi found it hard to believe that something like this existed above the waters of Watatsumi Island, but was nevertheless thankful for its existence, as it played a crucial part in saving a person's life.

That, and the fact she had already thought up of many applications that she could implement in and out of the battlefield.

"Well, it was kinda squirming around when I first held it in my hand so it's kinda hard for me to believe it can do something that powerful," Goku said as he poked at the small hydro construct levitating in the air.

"Perhaps, but it seems enhancing it with my Hydro Vision alongside my own powers were able to enhance its effect by several folds. So, I simply repel away the physical distance between you and I to travel your inner world, but the consequences seem to be that it left a faint connection lingering in both our minds."

It was the most reasonable explanation she could come up with, considering she was just as much in the dark as Goku was.

Goku's eyes blinked, before something came to mind, "Does that mean I can do that with you too?"

"I don't see why not...unless there is some other element that I'm missing."

Though she said there, Kokomi didn't wholly believe her own words as she could think of one reason why he wouldn't be able to do it at the moment, but decided not to say anything about it as there was no harm in Goku trying it out regardless.

Goku visibly brightened at the possibility as he immediately closed both his eyes, concentrating his mind as Kokomi observed him quietly.

It was almost surreal seeing the image she was looking at. Unlike the usual boisterous and carefree attitude Goku carried himself with, here he brought about a calm yet serene atmosphere around him, one not unlike those of shrine maidens during meditation.

It drove the point home that he was a martial artist, through and through.

The serene image broke as Goku's eyes opened abruptly, "No good. I almost slipped into image training instead..."

Kokomi couldn't help but be curious, "Who did you imagine as your opponent?"

"Me, of course! I mean, I can't really find anyone better to tell whether or not I've gotten stronger," Goku said with a grin, pointing happily at himself.

She supposed his reasoning was solid, but it raised another question in her mind,"Why not your mentor?"

While she didn't possess a full knowledge of the person known as Kami, Kokomi surmised that in order to train someone of Goku's caliber, then they themselves must have a certain amount of strength to do so.

Goku shook his head, "Kami's strong and all, but I never really fought him at his full strength before, so my head can't really think up a strong enough image of him for me to train with."

"Besides, if I only think of what Kami has shown me during my time at the Lookout, then there'll be no point since it's supposed to be training."

The implication from his words was not lost on her, "Are you suggesting..."

"Yup, cause I know I can win."

There it was again, that sheer display of confidence. Even after having lost to the Raiden Shogun, Goku did not seem disheartened in the slightest. If anything, he looked more determined than ever. Having seen his battles alone from today's incidents, there was no doubt in her mind that this was the case.

...which was precisely why it was going to be harder than she first predicted with what she had planned to do later.

"Anyway, I don't really get why I can't see the same things you do Kokomi," Goku said offhandedly, veering the conversation back on track.

Despite Goku being confused about the issue, Kokomi on the other hand was almost certain of the reason for Goku's inability to see through her eyes like she did his, having seen her initial assumptions to be proven correct. Thus, she deliberated on whether or not she should inform him of the reason.

That decision never came into being however, for another individual came barging into the room they were residing in.

"Yo! I see you two are getting comfortable here and all, but you wouldn't mind me joining in would you?"

Goku turned towards the woman who had just opened the door, his confused expression apparent for all to see.

Upon seeing the young man's reaction, the woman spoke once more, "Ah, right...introductions. Name's Beidou, and I'm this here captain of the fine vessel you're standing on."

And just like that, his usual smile came as naturally as it did breathing for the young man, "Hi, I'm Goku!"

Realizing that this was a good opportunity, Kokomi expanded upon Beidou's statement, "The good captain here was also the one who lessened the intensity of electro energy the whole way until you were brought before me for healing."

Goku then held a thoughtful look, before giving Beidou a grateful smile,"Thanks a lot for that! Ehehe, I wouldn't know what to do if I just died like that."

She immediately felt the need to retort his statement, "Goku, you wouldn't even be able to take any sort of action if you have passed on from the living."

"That's not true...probably," Goku said unconvincingly as he tilted his head to the right.

Beidou let out a hearty chuckle before addressing the martial artist, "Oh, I can tell you're gonna be a riot. As for the saving thing, don't sweat it too much. After all, it was a request coming from a certain someone here," Beidou explained as she eyed Kokomi, of which Goku followed suit as well.

The Divine Priestess, who wanted to take Beidou's sudden appearance to her advantage now suddenly felt like she was the one who had been cornered, even though the captain was in no way antagonist or malevolent towards her.

Basically, Beidou was simply deriving fun from the conversation at hand.

Though it was not usually shown, Captain Beidou was an individual that had just as much wit as she did with combat...almost like she was used to them somehow.

Regardless, Kokomi kept her calm as she spoke, "Perhaps so, but who was it that went above and beyond what I requested?"

Beidou quickly got the message she was getting at, "Alright, alright...I got the point. I'll stop talking about it then,"

"Hmmm..." Goku drawled, trailing off as his eyes stared towards Beidou's appearance from top to bottom.

"What's with the look you're giving me?" Beidou asked, noticing the weird stare from Goku.

"Well...I notice your clothes are a lot different than every other person I've met so far."

Beidou then turned towards Kokomi with a questioning look, as if to ask how exactly the woman should approach the question.

The Divine Priestess chose to answer in Beidou's stead, "It's because the captain is not from Inazuma. Rather, her origin lies in Liyue, a nation beyond the waters of Inazuma."

Goku nodded, before something else occurred to him, "Huh...then how come you're working with Kokomi then?"

Beidou's right eyebrow rose, "Oh? And what do you mean by that?"

"Kokomi told me that this whole Sengoku act was made a while ago, so how did you arrive here when everything is supposed to be close? Plus, Kokomi's place is far away from the place that Raiden stays at, so it would be hard for you two to meet, right?"

Beidou blinked, clearly not prepared for such a question. Kokomi on the other hand, took a mental note as she added it to the catalog of knowledge she had in regards to the martial artist, of which continued to grow the more she interacted with him.

Oddly, she found herself enjoying such an activity.

"It's nothing that complicated. The job I have back home includes going beyond the waters of Liyue, and Inazuma is very much one of them. As for the other thing, I just happened to stumble upon Sangonomiya here and noticed she needed some help, so I offered my crew and I for mercenary work, which she found more than satisfying since she's still willing to hire us more than once."

It was much more complicated than what the captain had described, but nothing that was said was necessarily wrong either.

Rather, the work that the Crux displayed far surpassed any of her initial assumptions when she first hired them, so much so that their recent tasks that she requested was one that only Kokomi could entrust to them.

One that they had already succeeded in, only to be immediately followed up by another task of escorting her to Yashiori Island upon Kokomi's awakening from slumber.

Truely, their work was worthy of praise.

"Captain, we're reaching land in five minutes!" a man yelled out for all three to hear.

"And that's my cue," Beidou said, before turning her eyes towards Goku again, "If you got any more questions you can ask away when we land, because believe me, I've got stuff I wanna ask you too, Son."

With that, Beidou left as quickly as she arrived, leaving the two alone in the room once more.

As Kokomi took another glance at Goku, she saw the giddy expression he adorned, before it broke into a full blown smile once he noticed her staring.

Upon seeing his reaction, Kokomi allowed herself a moment to smile as well...before dropping it altogether once she reminded herself of the decision that she was about to make today, something that will remain as such until the decisive moment arrives.

For all her planning and overthinking, Kokomi was still unable to see whether or not the action she had decided upon would be the correct one at the end of the day.

Kokomi admitted to herself that the current scene before her should not have come off as a surprise, but it still disappointed her all the same.

The utter display of disorder and chaos at the Resistance camp was not a welcoming sight, though the Shogun's Army would say otherwise if they had knowledge about the incident that had just occurred here.

As the leader of the Resistance, it was a reminder that she was still woefully lacking, but she placed those feelings deep within her before turning towards Goku, who was standing just as bewildered by what was going on, along with Beidou who was the only one out of the three who was smirking at the disastrous scene.

"Goku, may I request your help in getting everyone's attention? I believe my voice would be unable to reach them at this point."

The martial artist thought about her request for a few seconds, before an idea popped out of his head judging from the look of elation he was wearing.

A booming sound erupted as Goku firmly clapped with both his hands, the sound of impact so strong that everyone in the vicinity immediately stopped at what they were doing just because of how loud it was.

As heads turned to seek the source of the noise, every one of their expressions turned into one of shock once they saw Kokomi's appearance, presumably because only now did they take notice of her presence.

Before any of the Sangonomiya samurai could even address their leader, someone else beat them to the punch as they shoved the others aside as they ran to the forefront of the group.

"Goku, buddy! You're back!" a certain oni yelled out in excitement, waving his hands wildly towards the martial artist.

Reciprocating, Goku waved back with just as much as enthusiasm, "Yup. I was a bit distracted since I was fighting so much, and I pretty much messed up in the end anyway!"

Itto remained undeterred despite the statement, "You're not the only one who has a grand story to tell, because let me tell you a great adventure I just went through!"

As the two began trading stories with one another, Kokomi turned her attention to another individual who had just shown up as well. Unlike the easygoing air Itto exuded, this individual in question had a cloud of worry above their head.

"Your Excellency! It is good to see that you're in good health, but is it fine for you to arrive so soon after recovery?" Gorou questioned, his concern visible for her to see.

"At ease, General Gorou. As you can see, there is no complication that has arised due to what occurred in the healing process. Rather, please update me on the current situation, as I can see that it cannot simply be one incident that caused this much chaos at our base of operations."

Gorou gave a sidelong glance in a particular direction, before returning his focus towards her, "There are way too many for me to even account Your Excellency. Even now, I struggle to put my thoughts into words on what I saw at Nazuchi Beach."

It must have been related to the troops, as those are one of the few things that would affect Gorou to this degree. Even after experiencing battle after battle, Gorou's sense of responsibility did not dull in the slightest. Yet, it was because of this the aftermath of a battle had the strongest effect on him. It was only due to his strong strength of character that he was capable of standing up and taking his role as a general admirably.

"Then simply begin with what you're most familiar with, then we can work from there," Kokomi said with a comforting tone in her voice.

It was imperative that she hear Gorou's side of events, as she never discussed about it in-depth when she and Goku were resting atop the Alcor.

"As you wish, Your Excellency. It all began when…"

And so, minutes passed as she continued to hear Gorou's story. With each passing event, she isolated and categorized each one of them so that she would have an easier time envisioning the series of events on what was connected and what didn't.

Among his many retellings, Kokomi found out how interesting it was that Gorou's perspective differ from Goku's, especially in regards to the same scene they both experienced through.

After everything was said and done, Kokomi had many comments that she wanted to direct them to, but kept it to herself for now because she needed to reassess the situation and the best way to tackle each and every one of them.

Before she could do that however, their final guest had just arrived at their doorsteps.

"It would seem that I am the last to arrive," Kaedahara Kazuha commented casually, his demeanor as calm as ever.

"Considering the circumstances, I say your arrival was perfect timing, Kazuha," Shikanoin Heizou complimented as he removed himself from the crowd.

"Heh, I would disagree. Getting sloppy here are we Kazuha?" Beidou commented from the side.

"I will endeavor to do better next time then, captain," Kazuha added, though it was clearly out of jest, which was rarely seen in her eyes.

While Kokomi wasn't surprised by the appearance of the young samurai, she was however a bit taken aback by the unconscious individual that he was carrying.

Yet at the same time, she couldn't say it was completely unexpected considering she had seen said person through Goku's own eyes.

Heizou took several steps towards Kazuha, before inspecting the unconscious man, "Judging by how much of a heavy sleeper our culprit is, I assume that he tried to feign innocence until he realized he couldn't fool you. Thus, he resisted at the end, am I right?"

"Yes, but there is something I must inform you. When we clashed blades, I could see the absolute determination that lay beyond his eyes. It was similar to warriors that I've fought in the past, of those that are willing to lay down their lives for what they absolutely believe in."

"Is that right? Then I might have to use a more subtle approach if I want to extract information out of him," Heizou commented, his playful tone now gone, replaced with one of seriousness.

This was her cue to intervene, "If the good officer would allow it, I would like to join in as well."

There was a slight surprise coming from Heizou upon seeing her abrupt inclusion into the conversation, but the young officer quickly hid it as he offered a confident smile in return.

"...Of course I wouldn't mind the leader of the Resistance taking part in the investigation. If anything, I think I should completely leave the reins to you instead, rather than have an outsider like me butt into your affairs."

The tone Heizou held was neither combative nor conciliatory, but one that was used to observe her next decision, which was understandable given that this was the first time they met in person.

"No. You were welcomed to Watatsumi Island and as such, you are a guest even here. In addition, you are an integral part in figuring out the reason for the destruction of the Tatarigami seals...besides, if Goku trusts your judgment, then it would be unwise of me to simply deny your help just because of your affiliation with the Tenryou Commission."

The subtle release of the detective's breath told her everything she needed to know, "I see your reputation precedes you. Guess I can say I understand why my superior was so serious when discussing how to confront you from the position of a commander."

She had a good guess on who Heizou was talking about, but decided that efforts were better spent on figuring out the true identity of the unconscious Kuhaku, and what his real aim was in causing all this dissent among the Resistance.

That said, there was something else that needed to be addressed first.

"Judging from the conversation you had with Kazuha earlier, I assume that although Kuhaku was indeed the culprit behind the incident, there are also others that collaborated with him...and these people just so happen to be members of the Resistance."

"Very astute of you, Miss Divine Priestess," Heizou said simply as he nodded in agreement.

Of course she would know, considering she saw it through another person's eyes. In fact, she had already prepared plans of what needed to be done in order to ensure that an incident like this would not repeat itself ever again.

She then looked towards the group of Resistance members who had been listening attentively from a distance, staring at them coldly as she spoke, "To those who were involved with the breaking of the Tatarigami seals, stand ready once I and Officer Shikanoin figures out the goal of our traitor. Gorou, please ensure that no one leaves the base until everything has been sorted."

"As you wish, Your Excellency!"

"Captain, could I ask if you could take Kuhaku off Kazuha's hands. I believe he requires a bit of rest after undergoing such an arduous task on his own."

Beidou shrugged both her shoulders, "Eh, it's no skin off my back, but you sure you don't want one of your men to handle it instead?"

"As of this moment, I am unable to determine who allied themselves with Nathan in this incident, something that I'm sure Officer Shikanoin will be able to fill me in later. Adding into the fact that Nathan has been a member for some time now, then sentimentalities and sympathy would naturally form among them, so the possibility that any one of them would help him escape is not impossible."

Upon hearing her reasoning, many of the Sangonomiya soldiers couldn't help but look away in shame, as if they couldn't deny such an accusation.

Of course they couldn't, because their camaraderie was strong even to her who had simply guided them across the battlefield. She, on the other hand, did not possess such strong feelings precisely because she was the commander, so interactions were mostly limited to giving instructions, with them acting upon said orders.

It didn't mean she was apathetic towards her own troop, but she was the most distant in a relative sense.

This was simply how it always was for the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island.

"This is not a warning, merely as a reminder. Remember your own beliefs on why you involve yourself in this war, so that you may prepare yourselves for the conclusion that I will reach after the investigation is over," Kokomi added, the tone of voice further enforcing to every member of the Resistance of the seriousness of the situation.

She immediately saw several of them stiffened at her words, not knowing how to respond. Kokomi then took notice of other individuals, most prominently a certain martial artist, who had been paying attention to the conversation, if his expression was anything to go by.

With nothing more to say, she began moving towards the building silently.

She could feel numerous pairs of eyes following every bit of moment, from ones that looked anxious to those whose expectant eyes continued even now. Most of all, she could sense those who were fearful of her, most definitely due to the realization of the implicit meaning behind her words.

Yet, she will endure them all the same, for she held the position of being both the Divine Priestess and the leader of the Resistance.

So, she would not fall, whether it be in the past, the present or the future.

Thus, her determination strengthened not just for the current conflict, but for the one up ahead as well.

"You sure you don't need me around when you're grilling him for info?" Beidou questioned, having just put Nathan down on the chair.

Without even being instructed to, Heizou immediately crouched down behind the chair, and proceeded to start tying the man's wrist with a rope.

"While your presence would no doubt put pressure on Nathan, adding another person into the mix might serve only to keep his lips tighter, even if slightly. So, I believe that it would be best for you to leave it to the two of us…unless Officer Shikanoin disapproves of what I've just said?"

Heizou shook his head as he stood up once more, having just finished binding, "You won't see me complaining Miss Sangonomiya."

Beidou let out an annoyed sight, "Feels like all I've been doing lately is just standing around and doing nothing."

"I assure you, that is not the case. Without your assistance, I doubt the Resistance would be able to withstand the might of the Shogun's Army, if at all."

"I know, I was just joking Sangonomiya. Anyway, yell if things get a bit more...physical, My knuckles have been feeling a bit itchy lately."

Kokomi nodded, understanding but not quite empathizing considering she was not much of a fighter, but just as Beidou reached the shoji door, the captain stopped to take out something from her person.

Then, Beidou turned around, "Oh yeah, almost forgot about this. Catch!"

A small item was thrown into the air, Kokomi was about to make a move to catch the thrown item, but stopped once her eyes realized the trajectory it was going, leading towards—

Heizou who caught it perfectly with his right arm.

"This is certainly new. It reminds me of a Vision, but it's not quite right, if you get my meaning," the young man commented once it was firmly placed on the palm of his hand.

Kokomi slowly took a peek at the item, and shared the same sentiments once she finished her quick observation. From its appearance, it looked to be a small red orb with some sort of insignia imprinted on it, but what meaning can be derived from it she had no idea.

"Yeah, I get the feeling I've seen it before but I can't really pin down the reason. I got the thing from Kazuha, and he mentioned that the guy uses it to channel something suspiciously like pyro energy, but he couldn't completely confirm it before taking him in. Now that I've handed it to you, I'll just leave it to you two to figure it out."

With her piece said, Beidou left the room, with the two of them left with more questions that needed to be answered.

Thankfully, all the source they needed was right here with them.

"Officer Shikanoin, what sort of procedure are you planning on going with?"

"Hard to say. For all I know, his personality might have been faked ever since he joined your Resistance, so there's no one set path of extracting information out of him. Guess I can just wing it and see how it goes."

Kokomi blinked, "Are...interrogations always this nonchalant in the Tenryou Commission?"

"Not always, but sometimes there's a need to be flexible. You wouldn't believe the amount of plans that my associates made go awry even before the interrogation begins."

Great. There goes the various directives she had prepared for situations such as this, made based on her pre-existing knowledge from detective books. Even with the ongoing civil war, it was surprising how little those directives had been used considering how many people perished amongst the destructive nature of war.

She shook those thoughts away, as she couldn't let that kind of mindset simmer. What she needed to do now was determine the level of threat that had been lurking underneath her notice, and not get distracted by anything else.

As she redoubled her focus, the culprit before them started to stir, and it was not long before he finally awakened, his eyes widening once he realized the position he was in.

Said bewildered expression did not last, as silent fury soon overtook the man. Unexpectedly, the man did not try struggling to escape, but instead glared at the two with the most disdain that she had received in quite a while.

"You're quite fast on the uptake, aren't you Kuhaku, or is it Nathan, if what I recall from the soldiers mention when referring to you correctly," Heizou said, beginning the conversation.

The man sneered, "Call me whatever you want, but we both know that the answer is neither of those."

"You're right, so let's stop beating around the bush. What's your real name?" Heizou asked firmly, dropping the pretenses.

No response came about from their culprit even after half a minute ticked by, but Heizou continued on, having predicted such a scenario, "Going quiet already I see. Come now, it's merely a name, unless you don't have one?"

Now it was her turn to chime in, "It might be because his name would give away his true affiliation. Isn't that right Nathan?"

"Oh, the fact his expression just tightened told us everything we needed to know," Heizou commented.

Nathan let out an audible click of the tongue, but said nothing else as Heizou showed a thoughtful look before continuing, "As a show of good will, I think we should put that aside for now, don't you agree Miss Sangonomiya?"

She truly didn't, because she had far more to say in regards to the man's identity, but inwardly relented upon knowing it would be pointless to continue with their current approach, "Agreed, I believe there are more pressing matters that we need to attend to."

Since Nathan was a spy who had known and lived through the past half a year as a member of the Resistance, then he no doubt already expected a multitude of responses from her that befitted her personality and actions as the leader of the Resistance.

What she simply had to do was to act the exact opposite of his expectations in order to shatter said preconception.

Within the dark room, small light shined weakly amidst the darkness, her Vision glowing in blue hue as she stared intensely towards the unidentified man, who was immediately alerted by what he saw.

"What was your intention behind breaking the Tatarigami seals?" Kokomi asked coldly, her tone unnaturally steady yet pointed.

Her sudden turn in demeanor was so drastic that even Heizou visibly reacted as well alongside Nathan, who was clearly taken off guard before quickly correcting himself, "H-hmph, you don't scare me Sangonomiya. I've seen how you treated those fools, always ensuring that no harm came to them despite the outcome of reality crashing down with each battle. With your attitude, you couldn't threaten me even if you tried!"

It was as if Nathan was screaming to the Archons themselves that nothing would make him fear her.

Well, he had thought wrong, which she will no doubt prove in the next several minutes.

"You're not wrong, but there is one misconception you need to fix."

Hydro energy condensed into the form of bubbles began to come into existence, floating ever so slightly from one another until multiple occupied the room, but instead of being widespread across their location, the bubbles only surrounded the still tied man.

Then, she commanded the bubbles to stop in place, all of them uncomfortably close to their prisoner, "The one I treat amicably are those who are allies, friends and partners. Those who threatened the peace of Watatsumi Island are another case entirely."

The man took a small gulp at the display, "Then how do you explain the Shogun's Army then!? If you're as ruthless as you say then you would have pushed for more aggressive tactics than simply prioritizing your troops' safety. Loath as I have to admit it, but without the Electro Archon leading them then the Resistance has more chances to win because of your tactics, but current reality disagrees with this assessment."

Interesting, so even this so-called spy saw it the same way as how her own people perceived her.

"I prioritize the safety of those who dared to fight for what they believed, that is why I implemented retreat tactics when the battlefield becomes unfavorable on the battlefield. As for the Shogun's Army, I hold no personal grudge towards them even when we are in opposition in this civil war. This extends not to just the soldiers that fought on the battlefield against us, but it includes the Shogun as well. I merely oppose them because of ideological conflict, nothing more and nothing less. Even when lives are lost it merely gives me a reminder that a solution needs to be reached as quickly as possible," she explained smoothly.

Then, one of the bubbles popped, splashing a dash of water on one side of Nathan's cheek.

"You...are different. You, who have actively and intentionally destabilized the Resistance, and done so in a way that desecrates the very deity that I believe in. Because of that, I see very little reason for me to treat you as nothing less than an enemy that needs to be eliminated as soon as possible."

Even Nathan's rage withered away for an instant at the piercing stare Kokomi gave him, as it was obviously something he had not been expecting to see.

He was right, as the instances where her true anger surfaced could be counted on one hand. In spite of the many conflicts and resistance that occurred due to the civil war, she had never displayed it for others to witness, as she.

As far as her memory could recall, those instances were merely a child's tantrum at the unfairness of the world.

This was exactly why Kokomi understood, and merely felt that it was a pity that the situation became so dire. Still, she remained calm even when her troops fought with both courage and fury by their side.

The same could not be said for this case.

She wasn't personally angered with Nathan, more so the group or organization behind him that orchestrated such events to transpire. Still, it did not mean Nathan was blameless either. Rather, it was more of a reason for her to be harsher towards him, and herself for allowing this to happen in the first place.

"I can't order you on how you run things here Miss Sangonomiya, but do remember we would need him alive in order to get the information we need," the only other person in the room reminded.

Kokomi could tell Heizou was playing along with her actions, which was something she appreciated, "While true, but if his loyalty is as unbreakable as it seemed then I see no reason for taking him in as a prisoner, as it will mostly be wasted space and resources."

This prompted the man to respond,"That's right. Try as you might, there is nothing you can do that will make me betray the ones I have sworn my allegiance to, even if you are to finish me off right here."

Heizou couldn't help but let out an amused smile, "Quite a conviction you have there, one that I've rarely seen even with the number of cases I have seen through myself."

True, while loyalty of such degree was not unheard of, it was rare. There were a handful of examples she could pick from, but amongst the Sangonomiya soldiers within the Resistance, only General Gorou could compare.

"...I concur, officer Shikanoin. This kind of loyalty is rare, yet it seems it is unrewarded at the moment."

The chair immediately jolted.

"Silence, Sangonomiya! What would a little girl like you who pretends she knows what she's doing presume to know about us!?"

In negotiations, one must know when to retreat in the right circumstances. This was not one of them.

"Then tell me, why do they not aid you in your time of need? Surely, it would be natural for them to rescue you if they are truly as noble as you believe them to be."

The rage that was temporarily washed away by Kokomi returned within Nathan, reignited several times over as the chair Nathan sat on trembled, with the man appearing as he would strangle her at this moment if he could.

Kokomi kept her nerves steady despite how volatile Nathan was, because she knew that the second her facade broke meant that she would be seen as nothing more than a weak girl who Nathan had nothing to be fearful of. No matter what, the image she was portraying right now needed to be maintained in order to fool their prisoner.

If she were to liken it to a novel, instead of the hero who braves through their problem, she needed to play the part of the villain in order to expose the evil before her. Though it may sound contradictory, in her eyes, there were no better methods to deal with the current situation.

"Let's calm down for a bit you two." Heizou said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Does the good detective believe otherwise?"

Heizou shrugged, "Oh, I'm sure whoever they are, a plan of rescue is already made as we speak. If they truly believe as strongly as dear old Kuhaku, then it's more of a when than an if."

The leader of the Resistance knew that Heizou was arguing only for the sake of it, which she acknowledged since it further increases their chance of causing Nathan to slip up in his words.

"I believe the opposite. It is precisely because they have the same sense of beliefs that if I were in their position, he would have been abandoned and considered to be lost in action. Due to their supposed strong conviction, they only need to ensure that information was not leaked to the opposing side, and nothing else, because they know a comrade like Nathan would understand the reasoning for not helping him to escape."

"You insolent curs have no clue what you're talking about!"

It was as if a trigger had exploded, the chair rattled wildly, almost to the point that it could fall at any moment.

Instead of Kokomi, it was Heizou who responded first, "We don't, so please feel free to enlighten us. What exactly compelled you to disguise yourself as a Sangonomiya soldier for months on end just for the goal of destroying the seals...was it the Tenryou Commission who gave you such an order?"

While Heizou implied it convincingly, Kokomi had a feeling that the young officer did not genuinely believe that Nathan was a part of the Tenryou Commision. Rather, he was trying to bait Nathan into unintentionally correcting him.

Her line of thought turned into reality as Nathan spoke next, "Like those fools had any authority over me. My cover may have been exposed, but you two have no clue about the world that is beyond your little islands."

The two remained silent, each reaching the same conclusion of the other, which was that Nathan or whoever this was did not come from Inazuma, but most certainly from another nation entirely.

The question was, which one?

Kokomi tried searching through her knowledge of the seven nations, but could only rely upon old books that may or may no longer be reliable anymore. Heizou, on the other hand, had a suspicion on which organization Nathan belonged to, but could not confirm it with the resources he currently had, as he could only find it back at the Tenryou Commission.

A bit more...they just needed one more clue in order to obtain a definitive lead.

"Despite the background you have given me before as a citizen from Monstandt, it only gives me more reason to believe that you are not from there, as we already established your name to be a fictitious one."

"Then we just have to narrow down which nation would benefit most from causing chaos within Inazuma, and the timing is suspicious too," Heizou suggested.

"I'm sure that whichever nation it is, it would have to be a pitiful and unstable one if they are trying to interfere with the affairs of another nation rather than using direct negotiations and dialogue to obtain what they are after," Kokomi stated, almost sounding condescending in the process.

Her words were deliberately chosen to be insulting, and a certain someone bit the bait immediately.

Nathan leapt forward into the air, carrying the chair with him as he let out a death glare, his teeth wide open intending to bite down at her.

"Die Sangonomiya! All for the glory of Snez—"

In one swift motion, Nathan was left breathless as nothing but ocean blue blocked his field of vision. It was because he was currently suffocating under a bubble, its size barely covering the man's head as he continued to struggle and move. Despite its size, the bubble she created had enough strength to leave Nathan suspended in the air, where his legs flailed around in an attempt to escape.

In the corner of her eyes, she could see Heizou's left leg had been raised, clearly poised to strike at any moment.

She was relieved, to be reminded again that Shikanoin was no threat despite his relation to the Tenryou Commission.

Now how long should she hold this bubble for?

"If you're wondering how long a person can hold their breath, the answer would be 'it depends'. My personal advice however would be to look at their muscle movement. If it gets noticeably weaker then you can tell when a person reaches their limit," Heizou said, giving sincere advice/

"I'm surprised you're not criticizing my method, rather you remain as nonchalant as ever officer Shikanoin," she pointed out.

One would think an officer from the Tenryou Commission should be condemning her for her actions, but Heizou had not shown any sort of disapproval so far.

"I won't lie and say that I expected this development, but I can't criticize how you do things Miss Sangonomiya, especially since it's self-defense. This interrogation is, after all, under your jurisdiction. I'm only playing the part of your assistant. While I'm no advocate for violence, there are always exceptions, and Kuhaku here just so happens to be that exception, so I can let it slide."

A reasonable answer, one that she was willing to accept from him.

The only thing they could do now was wait.

It took until four minutes before the man's arm movement slowed down, which was the cue for her to disperse the giant hydro bubble.

Water fell from the disappearance of the bubble, dropping its captive onto the floor in the process. As a result, Nathan gasped heavily due to his inconsistent breathing rhythm, clearly trying to grasp for air.

"...Do you have anything else you wish to say, Kuhaku? I might even help you plea for lighter punishment if you're willing to tell us directly about this group you're involved with."

Both she and especially Heizou knew that what he was saying was more of a formality than anything. After all, they already have more than enough clues to piece the information together by themselves.

"I have to remind you. We have already figured out which organization you belong to, so choose your words carefully," she warned as lifted her right arm, accompanied by her Vision glowing ever so slightly for Nathan to see.

Nathan's head bobbed unsteadily, his breathing loud before he mustered the strength to speak, "I'll...haa...applaud for you making me slip up, but y-you Vision wielders cannot stop what is coming to Inazuma. Mark... my words."

"Then is that something related to this?" Heizou asked as he presented the item Beidou gave to him.

No matter how long they waited however, be it seconds to minutes, the man remained silent, because the man had fallen unconscious, most probably due to the suffocation he just experienced.

Despite the lack of verbal confirmation, his last actions had already convinced them who exactly was behind the destruction of the Tatarigami seals, and the implications did not bode well no matter what angle they looked at it.

"He will be monitored constantly, lest he escape or anything worse occurs."

Her words were not lost on Heizou, who looked contemplative before speaking in her direction, "If it's not too much trouble, do you mind if I come and check up on him myself from time to time, just to see if there's anything else I can get out of him."

The look Heizou gave told her that there was something else he wanted to say, but was going to be preserved for a later moment.

Still, she nodded, agreeing with his request., "Be my guest, officer Shikanoin. I'll inform the guards later just so no complications would occur whenever you come to this room."

"..,You have my thanks for that, Miss Sangonomiya."

Both then left the room in tow, without a single verbal agreement of doing so, as they each have many thoughts racing through their mind on what they have just uncovered from the interrogation just now.

Those last words...Kokomi knew that it was not a threat, more so an inevitable that would happen no matter the outcome of this civil war.

There was much more at stake if his words were to be believed.

After all, who would have thought Snezhnaya of all nations would dare to dip their toes into Inazuma's affairs, specifically during a civil war?

Kokomi and Heizou parted way the moments they were out in the open again, with Heizou walking towards Goku's direction, who had Kazuha and Beidou standing beside the young martial artist, as well as Itto nodding sagely at the conversation at hand.

From where she stood, the Divine Priestess could hear Goku converse with Kazuha excitedly with such vigor that she immediately assumed it must be something related to combat to elicit such a response.

And she would be right, proven by what was said in just a few moments.

"What!? You can make something like this Kazuha?" Goku exclaimed loudly, pointing at a piece of old paper he was holding.

"You're telling me you can make a cool weapon with those short arms of yours?" Itto questioned as well, who was clearly wrapping his head around the idea.

The young samurai nodded in return, "While my expertise lies on the craftsmanship of swords, it does not only extend solely to them. Following the design you have just shown me, I believe it is possible for me to create this, with a bit of assistance from the Resistance's blacksmith, of course."

Goku nodded seriously, before his eyes wandered to the clouds above as he spoke, "Kaji said it was used by a hero or something, so I'm hoping it won't break easily when I use it myself."

Kazuha gave a thoughtful look, before focusing on Goku again, "I'll ensure that the spear you seek will be one that you will be able to endure even the strongest thunderstorm. "

"Must have been a while for you hasn't it Kazuha?" Beidou commented.

"Yes..it has been some time. Hopefully my skills as a craftsman have not rust away, unlike the sword I've been polishing all this time. "

"Alright! Once it's done, I know I'm ready for another round with Raiden," Goku said excitedly, rolling his right shoulders with anticipation all bared to see.

Right, the Shogun remained a topic that she still needed to discuss with Goku. Before that, however...

Having arrived at her destination, she now found herself standing before General Gorou, who was relieved at her appearance, "Your Excellency, I see you have returned from the investigation. What...did you find out?"

"The Resistance and the Shogun's Army are not the only ones participating in this civil war, as we have an outside force that decided to participate...with the destruction of the Tatarigami seals being one of them."

She needed to do a more thorough investigation on the ongoing events of the civil war, not at a surface level, but at a one much deeper, because she had a feeling that it was only through this degree of scrutiny would she begin to notice the type of activities that Snezhnaya employed.

Gorou's ears perked up, surprised by the revelation, "But that's—"

"Don't worry, I'll discuss it at length with everyone at a later date. For now, we still have an issue that needs to be solved, and that is—" Kokomi then turned her eyes towards the group that stood just behind general Gorou, "—what to do with this group."

The individuals that were responsible for breaking the seals said nothing, as none of them were able to even look her in the eye.

"Tadakatsu, after giving you and everyone involved time to reflect. What do you have to say of your actions that brought up the reawakening of the Tatarigami?"

Tadakatsu looked on to the other members, before expressing the thoughts that their group all shared, "We merely wanted to revive our Omikami, surely you understand our point of view Your Excellency."

Kokomi merely let out a sigh, "Of course I do, but what use of this revival if it brought about a curse upon the people of this island? Do you think Orobashi would be satisfied, knowing that his return had brought more pain and conflict to the people of this land?"

None of them had a rebuttal. Thus, she kept going, "Worse yet, you were hoping that his return would end the civil war for you, correct?"

"We were thinking with our Omikami by our side, the Shogun's Army would be reduced to nothing. Surely the Vision Hunt Decree will be thrown away once the Shogun notices her army was defeated, making her realize her mistake in judgment."

If they thought that the Shogun would change her mind simply based on such flimsy reasoning, then they clearly did not think this through enough, which was probably due to Nathan's own manipulation that led them to this decision.

"It never would have worked regardless...but that is not what disappointed me the most, do you know what did?"

The question she pointed at them caused them to look at one another, no doubt referring to the other members of their group on whether or not they knew the question to her answer.

"You forgot about the civilians who live on Yashiori Island. It is not only us who occupy this location, for we are merely borrowing it. We have already encroached on their everyday lives as they are, and just because we are fighting for a cause we deemed necessary does not mean we have the right to trample it with reckless abandon."

The people who lived on the village of Yashiori Island, Higi Village, most definitely were already confused and scared because of the Resistance setting base here. Thanks to Goku informing of Kaji's irritation with the situation, she knew that the man could only originate from that particular village. Now with the Tatarigami running amok, who knows what might happen to their well being.

As the leader of the Resistance, she would ensure that no further harm would come to them, with plans that she already had in mind to convince them to relocate away from said village.

"We…understand that we are lacking still, as Resistance members and as samurai, Your Excellency," Tadakatsu admitted, with the others in his group agreeing with the sentiment.

However, if they thought this matter would be put to rest so easily, then they were surely mistaken.

"Good, which is exactly why you're relegated to the patrol platoons back on Watatsumi Island until further notice, right after you inform the villagers of Higi Village of the situation regarding the Tatarigami. I'll give more intricate details later on what needs to be done, but as the ones responsibles, this is the least you can do."

Kouzen was the one who spoke up, a person that she distinctly remembered during Goku's battle with him, "But Your Excellency! Without us on the frontlines then how would we be able to help the other members to fight the Shogun's Army? I don't claim to know every logistic that happens in the Resistance but surely you need every fighter on the battlefield."

Their dedication to the Resistance was admirable despite the situation, but...

"Yes, I will not deny that your group possesses strong members, but do not mistake your individual strength as one that is irreplaceable. No...let me correct myself, it is not simply strength that is important, but our coordination as one force. If you, who had already dared to do something as drastic as attempting to revive our deity without consulting others then I do not have the same confidence that you would not do something that is just as outrageous in the vain hope that you are helping our cause against the Vision Hunt Decree, leaving the consequences such as the one we have now."

She couldn't have them leave the Resistance because they needed as much manpower as necessary, but she could not let them go unpunished either because it will only serve to embolden them to try something like this again, but also increase the likelihood of the others doing the same thing.

The only fitting punishment she could think of for an overzealous group like Tadakatsu and the others would be to deny the one thing they pride themselves most in; their overwhelming desire to fight against the Shogun's Army.

"But—Your Excellency! Surely there's something we can do to regain your trust in us!" Tadakatsu argued, taking a step forward with a pleading look in his eyes.

Many similar sentiments were voiced out as well, each desperately for her to overturn her decision.

However...

"My word is final, understood? You may take a few days to inform the people of Higi Village, but I require all of you who were involved in this incident to sail back to Watatsumi Island afterwards, with no exception."

The stunned look they all shared not only made the ones involved in disbelief, but even those who had not participated could not believe they were hearing. Still, despite the reluctant expressions, none of them could argue against it.

After all, was she not the leader of the Resistance? If they rebelled against her decision then they would only serve to prove her right. Moreover, it would only make the circumstances even worse than it was already.

With her piece said, she turned to Gorou and gave him a note, of which the young general read as quickly as possible. After he was finished, he immediately commanded the other members of the Resistance to form into lines for the sake of completing the orders she had written down right in sparse details.

She appreciated Gorou's efforts as general, as things would be significantly harder to manage if he wasn't here. With another business settled, there was still another that needed to be addressed, one she reserved as the final one for the day.

With each step she took towards Goku, she could feel her heartbeat at an unsteady pace. Once she noticed this fact, she calmed herself, reminding her that this would be no different to past conversations she had. She stopped just before the person in question, who seemed to have been observing her since the exchange she had with the Resistance members.

She reminded herself that trust that had been lost was hard to regain, a truth that cannot be denied in this world.

Now, she was about to test that herself.

"Goku. Can you spare a bit of time for the two of us to talk?"

The young martial artist didn't immediately give a response, his eyes softening as he gave a solemn smile, "...I'm guessing you got something you wanna say to me too, huh?"

"Yes, and the conversation that we are about to have should only be for our eyes and ears, so I believe we need to relocate to a more remote location."

Rumors and whispers would probably spread among the soldiers because of this, but she would worry about that later since this was more important.

"Let's go to the top of Orobashi's head! If you worry about it taking too long for us to get there, then I'll just carry you like I usually do," Goku suggested, his usual demeanor returning.

If any of the zealous members heard such a proclamation, I'm sure they would have branded him as a heretic, but this was not the case with the circle of friends he had already made in a world foreign to him.

She wouldn't do so despite being the Divine Priestess, because ultimately, Goku meant no ill will. If anything, she was curious why he chose that location specifically?

After sending the regards to the others by excusing themselves, Goku immediately scooped her entire person as he carried her with one arm under her legs and the other on her back.

She could only hide her embarrassment from showing to everyone on the camp as Goku simply took a giant leap forward into the air.

"Yup, I'm not hearing anything right now, so I must have imagined it before..." Goku mumbled aloud about a topic that she was not privy to.

As Goku continued his contemplation, Kokomi took the time to take a look at the scenery around them, and was not surprised by what she saw, for there were multiple burnt marks all around the area, from flattened surfaces to remnants of elemental energy still lingering even now.

What was more surreal was that she was taking in this view standing atop of her deity's corpse, as if the act of even considering such an act was not a blasphemy of some sort.

Still, it was time for her to confront him, and the best way to do so was simply get into the heart of the issue, "Goku, are you completely sure that you wish to face the Raiden Shogun in combat once more?"

Goku snapped out of his thoughts as he turned to face her, "Course I am. I can't just let things end like that, you know?" Goku answered simply.

She shook her head, "For what purpose? To simply satiate your excitement for battle?"

"I mean, I am excited for another fight with her, but..." Goku stated, his right hand scratching the back of his hand.

"I saw it through your eyes, Goku. The way they widened as you faced the ever looming Maguu Kenki...no, I did not simply see what you saw physically, but also the image of the Raiden Shogun herself right at the final exchange in that battle."

Goku was completely surprised by her admission, as she had not divulged that little bit of information to him, until now that was.

She could vividly remember the version of the Electro Archon Goku was seeing, and it was an image that the average person would have cowered in fear if they were to witness such a scene.

His expression turned serious once more, "Even when I faced it head on, that final slash was still nothing compared to the one the real Raiden showed me, so that's why I wanna see if things will be different since I've gotten stronger than I was before. "

She did not know whether or not his proclamation was true, as she had never personally been bared witness to his full strength; only the Shogun was the only one who could verify it decisively.

Still, she would not dwell on the topic of his strength being sufficient or not to face the Shogun. Rather, she had something else in mind, "And why would you do something like that?"

Goku blinked, not entirely getting her meaning, "What do you mean?"

"You've met Captain Beidou, have you not? If I request for it, then you would be able to leave with her crew on the Alcor, away from Inazuma and continue on your journey to find a way back to your world."

This was the conclusion she had reached after diving into Goku's inner world, because of one simple realization.

Goku had people that he cared about, ones that he held dear to his heart. Worse yet, he had a time limit, one that was set by himself. She did not know why one year was the limit, but she did know that it involved his current responsibility, perhaps being the reason why he was currently trained under his current mentor.

If that was the case, then there was no point in Goku staying at Inazuma with conditions as unstable as they were, because the end of the civil war remained far and away even now.

"I can't just leave, you know that Kokomi."

Of course she knew, because despite his outward behavior, she understood that it was simply in his nature; his willingness to help others.

It was precisely because of this nature that Kokomi knew that she needed to make a stronger argument in order to persuade him to see it her way.

Thus, she pressed on, "You have around a year left, less so now that weeks have passed ever since you came to Teyvat."

Goku did not respond to her words.

"If you occupy yourself with matters that do not concern you, then you'll waste the little time you have left. You might not have said it, but I know it's because you have matters you need to attend back in your world."

The young martial artist remained silent as ever, but his expression was slowly changing as her words settled into his mind.

"Figure out what is most important to you, Goku, then prioritize them. Right now, is having a rematch with the Electro Archon more crucial than finding a way back to your world?"

No answer.

Yet, she could tell Goku was thinking about her words carefully, because underneath it all, Goku knew what she said was true. He could only think about them now because he had been too preoccupied by current events until this point in time.

With his mind deep in thought, Kokomi knew that now was the time for her to divulge thoughts she had kept reserved, since it was the trump card she needed to convince Goku to leave Inazuma for good.

"You know, Goku. When we first met, the thoughts that swam through my mind wasn't mere curiosity or being overwhelmed of the idea that you're from another world, but to continuously evaluate whether or not I can use your for the sake of the Resistance, which was why I kept you in the dark at the beginning, because I wanted you to participate with full understanding of the ongoing situation so that you would not back away the moment you involved yourself in the conflict."

That's right.

If she couldn't convince him through logic, then she would use emotional manipulation if she had to, just like she did with Nathan. The moment Goku saw that everything she did wasn't in service of helping him wasn't out of the kindness of her heart, then he should realize that there's no reason for him to help her.

Even if in the depths of her heart, she ever so slightly wished that he would aid them in the civil war, Kokomi immediately quelled the logical side of her mind and told herself that this was the best road for Goku to take, no matter what.

Even if she were to be yelled at, even if he were to be disappointed in her, or even hated her to the point that they never spoke again, it would be well worth it were he to heed his advice and leave Inazuma as quickly as possible.

It would be fine.

She had bore that burden before, then she could do it again, because that's how she had been all her life.

Still, this feeling that she was experiencing was almost unreal to her. Realistically speaking, she had not met Goku for long, so realistically speaking she should not have been so concerned with his well-being.

Yet, her actions up until now proved the contrary, for she had seen his confusion when he first arrived in Teyvat. She had heard him proclaim his existent yet non-existent dream. She had seen the inner workings of his own personal world, and now, she had seen things through his eyes which made her understand the reality of the situation he was currently placed in.

Even if it was for the sake of fighting against the Vision Hunt Decree, Sangonomiya Kokomi could not in good conscience allow this to continue, not when someone she had come to know and now care about was wasting away his ever fleeting time.

So, she prepared herself for Goku's reaction, but instead of anger or disgust at the revelation, all the young martial artist did was smile. The same smile he had presented to her right in their first meeting.

"Is that right? But you changed your mind, didn't you?" Goku asked gently.

The way he said it, it was as if Goku could see right through her facade, like what she just admitted didn't matter to him at all.

"You do understand what I mean, right?" Kokomi couldn't help but ask.

Goku nodded, his emotions unnoticeable to her, "I get it, but just because you were having thoughts like that doesn't mean I'm just gonna up and leave you know? I said it before, didn't I? I don't like what's going on here so I'm gonna put a stop to it."

"Why not? I was planning to use you for my own benefit, surely that is enough for you to throw away the trust that you had in me."

Goku nodded in response, "Yeah...and I decided that it just doesn't matter to me. So what if you thought about something like that, the Kokomi I know might be a weirdo, but she means well all the same."

Now she felt her emotions heating up at the presumption, "You can't claim that you know me Goku, simply due to the interactions that we shared. What if I were still having those same thoughts and this conversation is merely a ruse for you to join the fight against the Shogun's Army?"

"It isn't, I can tell."

It was the exact same smile again. The very one that he showed when he was completely sure of something, a belief that he knew everything will work out in the end.

Kokomi's face became colder as a result, her eyes emotionless as she reiterated once more, "Goku, if you truly desire to commit and continue involving yourself in this matter, then I intend to use you solely for my benefit...to the point that your death would not even be an unexpected occurrence. Even then, you still wish to fight?"

The air around them humidified as tens of bubbles came into existence, surrounding Goku ever so slightly, where they would burst at the slightest movement.

Then, she gave him the most lifeless stare she could muster, "In essence, if you are still persistent in this matter...Then, I will use you to your fullest for the fight against the Shogun's Army, and you, in turn will use me for your fight against the Raiden Shogun."

Goku looked at her with his determination at full display, "I ain't leaving, Kokomi. Sure, I probably would have to use a lot more time to find a way back home if I stay here but I wouldn't be able to stand leaving without resolving things here. Plus, I don't just want to have a rematch, I also wanna have another talk with Raiden again."

Then, Goku took a step forward, his body coming into contact with the bubbles. Instead of exploding into bursts of hydro energy or entrapping him, they merely turned into harmless puddles, merely splashing his already wet attire.

Goku stopped the moment he was standing before her, his eyes focused entirely on her and only her, "You're wrong about one thing though Kokomi. It ain't about using each other or whatever...I wanna help because we're friends, it's nothing that complicated you know?"

She wanted to look away from his eyes, because the longer she stared into them, the more her determination began to waver.

This was not what she had predicted to occur at all.

Kokomi was confident that the moment Goku knew about her original intentions with him, then he would have left, simply because it was human nature to do so. It was what she had seen time and time again ever since she had taken the role of leader of the Resistance.

Even in the best case scenario she envisioned, it would be at most a reluctant parting, one where it would not be odd for the two to never meet ever again.

She, who had prepared hundreds of stratagems for the sake of resisting the Vision Hunt Decree, realized that the plans she had thought of would not have worked on Goku regardless, because Kokomi had vastly underestimated him despite already witnessing the strength of his character.

As such, Sangonomiya Kokomi conceded.

Though she found it comfortable to stare at the ground right about now, she still mustered the strength to face him again, "I'm just...sorry everything had to proceed this way, knowing that there is another path for you to take, yet you're tied down here."

"I told ya to not worry about it Kokomi. Also, you should stop giving me that weird look whenever you're trying to make me hate you, cause I know you're not like that," Goku answered honestly.

With that, the two silently agreed to put the matter to rest, even without speaking of it any further. Kokomi didn't know what to feel, but the most apt description would be that a heavy burden had been lifted from her. Even if the future was as uncertain as ever, she firmly believed that things will be resolved in the end, despite evidence proving otherwise.

How unlike her.

"...Plus, you're pretty bad at it Kokomi," Goku stated suddenly, smiling cheekily.

"Only to you Goku," Kokomi said, smiling the brightest she had today.

On Narukami Island, there stood a tall mountain where travelers came and went despite the perilous dangers that may lurk there when one journeyed there.

But why would one go through so much trouble for the sake of climbing a mere mountain?

It was because what stood atop of this tall mountain was the Grand Narukami Shrine, a shrine that held responsibilities towards those who worship the Electro Archon, which extended to almost all residents of Inazuma.

And in such sacred ground, a shrine maiden was running around relentlessly searching for someone.

"Lady Yae, Lady Yae!" she yelled.

What came out from the main doors was a woman, with an attire that looked so distinctive yet similar that one look from the outsider would let them know who was the senior between the two.

That, and also the fox ears that separated her from the rest of the shrine maidens.

"Calm down. Remember, this is a shrine, not the Yashiro Commission estate. Now, what was so urgent that you were running around so frantically?"

The woman nodded, taking a deep breath before she spoke, "It's just that...we've received news that the Tatarigami seals on Yashiori Island had been broken and the curse is running amok once again!"

Yae tapped the bottom of her chin, "You're a little late on that update for...about two weeks if memory serves?"

"You already know of it, Lady Yae?" the shrine maiden asked, clearly surprised.

"Of course I do, I am the Guuji Yae after all," she replied, emphasizing her title.

"My apologies, Lady Yae. It was presumptuous of me. Then, you must already have plans to deal with the situation!" the younger woman said as she stared at Yae expectantly.

Yae closed her eyes, "Due to the turbulence and ongoing civil war, I'm afraid there is nothing that can be done about the Tatarigami, lest you find yourself being a hostage to the Watatsumi Army an appealing idea."

The shrine maiden shook their head, clearly disagreeing with the idea.

Yae merely smirked, before gazing into the far distance. With the height they were at, it was easy for her to have a bird eyes' view of the entirety of Inazuma.

The direction she was looking at was one that led to a little island known as Yashiori Island, in particular a certain young visitor who came to Inazuma not long ago.

She only noticed his presence when she was observing the strange object that fell a month ago, which then eventually led to a certain battle at Tenshukaku.

Truthfully, she thought that incident would be just that, ending with the Shogun's blade as the finale, just like many others many before the young man, but just before she stopped said observation, she noticed that things became much more interesting at the very last moment.

From there, she took a peek whenever she felt boredom seeping in and though she did not have the specifics of each event, she was nonetheless entertained by what she saw, so much so that a story like this would be worth publishing for one to enjoy reading from beginning to end.

However, only the ending remained to be written, one that even she could not foresee what it would be...which was why she was planning on joining in to write this section of the story.

Her intuition told her that this was indeed the time for her intervention.

It was strange to even imagine it, but Inazuma would no doubt experience a change like no other in the coming days, and Guuji Yae of the Grand Narukami Shrine will be there to witness it, just like the day the Electro Archon secluded herself into the Plan of Euthymia.

"An ever familiar scenery, soaked in the smell of blood...truly, nothing changes in the land of eternity," a young man said as he readjusted the kasa he was wearing.

"Who would have guess that I would end up back here again of all places?"

The young man's question was met with nothing but silence, merely chuckling as he began walking forward, with no specific aim in particular.

Chapter Text

In one of the biggest rooms that lay within Fort Fujitou, a meeting was currently being held, evident by the multiple individuals that have gathered for this occasion, with Sangonomiya Kokomi at the front and center, looking as calm as ever, her eyes scanning the other individuals that were also present with her.

To her left was General Gorou, who was attempting to act as authoritative and stoic as usual, but only she knew through the glint of his eyes that it was merely a front, as he was nervous about the discussion that was about to take place.

To her right was Captain Beidou of the Crux, confident and as nonplussed as ever, though the captain did give her a serious nod before going back to her usual appearance.

They were not the only ones present either, as there were tens of other individuals here as well, each one a captain of a platoon within the Resistance, a rank and position that came with a platitude of responsibility in their fight against the Shogun's Army.

Everyone here was gathered in this very room for a very specific reason, one that she intended to reveal to all of them at the end of this meeting.

"General Gorou, I request a status report on all ongoing activities within Yashiori Island, Kannazuka and Watatsumi Island."

Nodding, Gorou stepped forward, "For Watatsumi Island, we were able to successfully relocate most of the residents from Higi Village to Watatsumi, but there were also some that were not quite convinced by Tadakatsu's group and decided to stay regardless, and even a few were reported heading towards the direction of Narukami Island instead."

This was within the realms of expectation, given the already poor relationship that the Watatsumi Army had with the residents of Higi Village. Still, the current situation was one of the better scenarios she had predicted given the circumstances. Though it was not ideal, she accepted the outcome as she had already tried the best method she could think of to tackle the situation.

She only prayed that those who stayed would not be engulfed by the Tatarigami, and to those that did, they would not feel it before it happened.

"I take it that everyone from Watatsumi Island has not been receptive towards the change?" Kokomi asked, her question directed at Gorou.

"...There were disputes, but it is currently being handled by the platoons stationed on Watatsumi. Judging from the reports, it would seem that the matter will be resolved soon with minimum conflict."

It was a weight off her shoulder to hear such a statement, even if things had not been settled yet. Now, if only the same could be said for their base of operation...

"As for the situation on Yashiori Island, it is as terrible as it seems from the offset. Not only do we already have a few individual members that have been affected by the Tatarigami, but there seems to be no signs of it stopping either."

The mood immediately turned solemn, as every one of them had already personally seen the effects for themselves.

Kokomi could remember that particular day clearly; A man suddenly yelled out in pain, seconds before a dark aura overtook their entire being, with only their screams left behind as the curse continued to consume them until they were completely overtaken by it.

The worst however, was the fact that nothing could be done in regards to the afflicted members, even when accounting her own abilities to restore wounds and fatigue of others. This included her recently acquired ability to reject matters that was proven to be ineffective as well.

No, it was more accurate to say that she was indeed able to expel the Tatarigami from the host, but not only did it expended all her energy to do so, it lasted for only mere minutes before it triggered again within the same individual. She speculated that due to the curse continually perpetuating throughout the island, the curse can simply re-enter the already cured individual like a secondary infection, causing the curse to flare up once more.

In a way, the curse was even more effective than the lingering aftereffects of the Musou no Hitotachi. Her best course of action for now was to slow down the effects of the curse, but not to the point it was completely gone so that the curse would not reemerge fully within the same person.

This has its own set of issues however, as there were no signs of them recovering from abnormality on their own either.

If the situation continued to worsen, then she would have no choice but to order for their death lest the situation spiral into one that was uncontrollable, which would then lead to chaos and disarray; A situation that she could not allow for to happen especially in this critical juncture of this civil war.

She sincerely hoped that she wouldn't have to make such a heavy decision in the near future..

"Finally, despite our constant observation, there seems to be little to no hints of movement coming from Kannazuka, as the Shogun's Army has mostly kept to their own base of operations."

Kokomi remained silent as she absorbed the bit of information, her mind already going through many possible scenarios and the insinuation that came from such a peculiar action..

It was unlike the movement of Shogun's Army of the past, but after taking the consideration that they were now being led by one Kujou Sara, an individual that she only had vague outlines of in regards to their personality and behavior, it fit.

The Shogun's Army was waiting for them to attack, one that she had no doubt of. Even with the setbacks that occurred from her absence, many within the Resistance still believed they had the advantage as long as she was the one at the helm of the operation.

If it was her past self, then she wouldn't necessarily disagree with the strategy. Rather, she would encourage it as it would be one step closer to ending the war. However, this wasn't the only way to bring about this war to end faster, merely one of the options presented.

Considering their supply lines were dwindling by the day, even more so now that food and resources were taken by accounting their newest guests on Watatsumi island, then pushing forward with such uncertainty would be devastating to them if they were to be met with failure instead of success.

The loss would offset the victories they had been accumulating in the past, so much so that if the Resistance were to try and come back from it, she predicted that they would be at an impasse with the Shogun's Army with no clear sight of the war ending at all.

Thus, her current plans did not include launching an offensive on the Shogun's Army. Rather, they had an alternative she considered to be the most reckless, yet provided the best chance of ending this war in one fell swoop.

"I see. With how matters are proceeding, I believe it is time a new platoon needs to be formed for the sake of our endeavours at the frontlines."

Many were silent at her declaration, which was a given as she had announced a new platoon at a frequent pace given the ever changing battlefield that constituted such a need.

Unbeknownst to many of them however, this new platoon she was about to announce was unique, as it would be the final one she would establish for the civil war.

"As such, the platoon known as Akai Maou is now established as of this moment."

Nods were given all around, showing that they understood her decision and were fine with it.

Now, here was where things would get much more...annoying.

"And what would the members consist of, Your Excellency? As well as its purpose?" One of the captains asked.

"This platoon will only consist of one person, taking up the responsibility as both captain and member. Only one person comes to mind for this particular platoon, and that is Son Goku, the guest that has decided to partake in our fight against the Shogun's Army."

Sounds of mumbling could be heard, until one of the captains were brave enough to direct a question, "Your Excellency, it is not that we do not distrust your leadership, but is it not an overwhelming burden of a task for only one man? Would it not be better that this new platoon be filled with more members beforehand…moreover, would it be a good look for an outsider to suddenly be given the role of captain immediately after just joining the army?"

The points raised were decent, but she could detect other intentions that came from the questioning. What's more, it was not just this man, but the other captains held similar thoughts if she were to judge by their experiences.

She quickly deduced that it was simply a mix of jealousy and pride. They didn't want to believe the rank they had proudly achieved was so easily given to someone that looked undeserving in their eyes. General Gorou could be described as such as well, seeing as he was the youngest general among them and the quickest to achieve the position before Goku. Unlike with Gorou however, Goku had not fought side-by-side with them in the battlefield, so their perception of him both as an individual and a fighter were skewed to what they just know of him; an upstart that was immediately given a position that wasn't deserved or earned.

She could employ a few methods here, such as assuring them what they were thinking was not the case, or that Goku being captain was a front as a tactic to scare off the Shogun's Army.

Instead, she reinforced the point of the platoon as clear as day so that there would be no room for doubt, "The reason why he is a one-man platoon is precisely because of his strength, and for being the only person in Inazuma's history to survive the Musou no Hitotachi. If they were any other members added into it, then they would simply serve to slow him down. If you still have any room for doubts, would it satisfy you if I were to arrange a joint practice for you to witness his strength for yourselves?"

Murmurs and whispers were exchanged across the room, but no one had come up to openly disagree with the idea, prompting Kokomi to continue onwards, "After all, the primary objective of Akai Maou is to fight off Inazuma's Archon, the Raiden Shogun."

It took only but an instance before chaos descended upon the room with shouts and yells, all mixed in with disagreements, as well as agreements among them.

She ignored them as she had one last thing to announce, "What's more, our next campaign is going to be the last one, and I intend to not only have the Shogun's Army be our opponent, but also to have the Shogun participate as well."

All were simply stunned by her...silence returning for they did not know how to respond to the sudden declaration that their next battle was presumably going to be the last one, until one among them gulped before giving out his opinion.

"But Your Excellency! Surely this is too reckless of a plan. Are you saying that the next one is our last because we're marching on to our defeat in our next campaign, since you're counting on a rookie to fight the Shogun at Tenshukaku while we fend off the Shogun's army!?" the man protested, almost angrily.

Grunt agreements rang throughout the room, for they too thought the idea was too outlandish and fantastical, something that seemed uncharacteristic of her in their eyes.

In order to bring order back into this room, Kokomi knew it was best to lay their current predicament clearly, "Captain Beidou, if you would shine a light on the troubles on our current resources and supply?"

The mercenary work she employed Captain Beidou and her crew for did not merely extend to helping in terms of fighting, for that was merely secondary. Truthfully, the real purpose of the Sangonomiya Priestess employing them was the shipment of supplies they had access to, especially since they were imported from Liyue Harbor of all places in Teyvat.

"Well, it ain't pretty I'll tell you that. Despite me and my crew already securing a supply line between the port back at Liyue and here, it's going to be a net loss for your group at the rate with how you're going. This is not even mentioning the villagers you decided to shelter so your supply definitely isn't going to last, judging by how you told me how bad it was last time, Sangonomiya."

Kokomi nodded, agreeing to the captain's assessment before putting an index finger up, "By my estimation, we have only but a month left before our entire supply is completely exhausted."

The silence in the room was palpable. It was natural, because they were slowly noticing the invisible corner they were placed in.

"Surely, if we were to pool our resources then we can make up the difference, then there would be no need for us to rush so recklessly. With how we've been going so far, and Your Excellency at the helm, we can simply make progress at a steady pace instead of putting our next campaign as our last one," one captain argued back, his tone unconvincing even to most of the others present.

"Of course we can, but such a course of action would weaken our forces and if we're caught off guard, the Shogun's army might take notice and take advantage of the gap in defense. Need I remind you that unlike us, the number of resources they possess far eclipses ours. Sooner or later, we will simply be in the same situation again, only next time, we will no longer be able to climb back out of it."

None could refute what she said, because all of them knew that Sangonomiya Kokomi was right in the end, no matter their arguments.

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Kokomi decided that it was time she should uplift the mood, "You are also mistaken, for we are not the ones rushing into combat. Rather, it will be the Shogun's Army who will be desperate to engage us by the next campaign."

The proclamation shook everyone in the room, just as expected. Still, they were anticipating her next words, wanting to hang on to every last one of them.

"A-and...how exactly do you propose we do that, your Excellency?" another captain asked nervously, the question barely escaping for all to hear.

She donned her usual mask, and answered with a calm tone in her voice, "Simple, instead of chasing after the Shogun, all we must simply do is to call her here instead. Naturally, the rest of their army will follow suit."

All she could hear afterwards was chaos, her own thoughts almost drowned from the sheer volume of disharmony. The loudness was akin to that of a thunderstorm constantly descending from above, only there seemed to be no end in sight with how distressed and confused the captains were.

The Divine Priestess knew it was coming, but she sighed regardless. While this was no doubt going to be a long and exhausting meeting, it was a necessary one for the plan she had made after weeks of preparation.

"Mannn...is the boss back yet?" Akira asked, lightly kicking a pebble on the road.

The young man known as Mamoru looked to the sky for a few seconds before answering, "Lemme check...nope, still ain't here yet."

"Things just don't feel the same without the boss around," Genta added.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the members of the Arataki Gang for the past few weeks now, having not seen Itto for such a long period of time without any sort of news.

Amongst the members of the Arataki Gang, only one member's spirit hasn't completely deflated at the absence of their leader, yet even Shinobu couldn't say she was unaffected by their missing leader either. If it were the usual her, she would have reprimanded the others for their whining and listless behavior, but she didn't have the heart to do so when she took one glimpse at the current mood as it would feel out of place. After all, this atmosphere only came about because they haven't heard news of Itto ever since he had the brilliant idea of boarding an unknown ship following a known fugitive.

…which also made it highly likely that said ship was colluding with the Resistance.

Her best guess to what happened afterwards was either Itto somehow stumbling his way into a situation where he had no choice but to involve himself in...or he's being held as a prisoner in the Resistance camp.

Honestly, both possibilities have an equal chance of happening as far as Arataki Itto was concerned.

"And look what we have here? One wouldn't expect the infamous Arataki Gang, known for taking odd jobs and their troublemaking, to be so uncharacteristically well-behaved. To tell the truth, it was hard for me to believe there were no reports of misdemeanour of any kind during my vacation period, so the scene before me doesn't quite fit the image I have with the gang who was so used to the jail cell back at headquarters they made it a habit to make noise every time they're sent there."

Their heads all turned to the source of the unknown voice, startled but none more so than Shinobu, who should have noticed someone walking towards them. Either she let her guard down, or this person was highly proficient in catching people off guard.

When she turned to find out the identity of their newest guest, she certainly wasn't expecting this person out of every individual in the nation of Eternity.

Akira pointed at the man, his hands trembling at the sight, "That uniform...Ahh, it's an officer from the Tenryou Commission!"

Genta clutched his head in fear, "Not again! I swear we haven't done anything that warrants an arrest lately!"

"No way...it's not like—was it because of how much we screwed up our last job!?" Mamoru yelled out in realization.

Due to the fact that the other three members of her gang were falling apart out in mock despair, it made it her role to be the one to control the situation so that it doesn't go out of hand, at least more than it already was.

"Calm down. He hasn't even said anything yet. Still, I have a feeling you were saying that on purpose, right Officer Shikanoin?" she asked, her eyes now focused on him.

She had heard about Shikanoin Heizou, mostly due to her conversations with her friend within the Tenryou Commission, Kujou Sara.

Though it was mostly snippets of information, such as how laidback he was and how much of a headache for Sara to work with despite always bringing results...there was one thing that stood out despite all her friend's criticism of the young detective.

It was that he was a person who would disregard official duties for his own personal schemes.

In lieu of that, why would such an individual approach them so deliberately?

"Ah, so you would be Kuki Shinobu I see. Yes, I believe I see you sometimes with my superior in her office...I guess I can see why Itto saw you as the one I should turn to," he answered.

Just the sole mention of their boss's name immediately quieted down the others. As she took a glance at the trio, all three of them responded by nodding towards her, silently agreeing with one another to leave the conversation to her.

Time to step up as the deputy leader of the Arataki Gang, "You're speaking as if you know the boss personally."

"That I do, and I would like to add the reaction you showed was the exact thing I was hoping to see," Heizou answered, unbothered.

He was testing them. Just as she was observing his every action, Shikanoin Heizou was doing the same as well, almost like every little detail he could glean over was leading him towards a conclusion that already had been made before meeting them. Moreover, the officer before them was carefree, almost too carefree for her liking so there must be something else she wasn't seeing.

Fine, she'll play along if that's what he wanted.

"No disrespect towards you, Officer Shikanoin but what exactly did you come here for?" she asked, keeping her tone even as to not arouse suspicion of her wariness.

Instead of being annoyed at her, he let out a smirk, "Prodding me I see? You could be a great assistant, or even a detective with that sort of mindset."

Shinobu's expression didn't change at the compliment, knowing that Heizou wasn't entirely sincere about it and was simply using it to dodge her question.

As if he could tell what she was thinking, Heizou defied her assumption almost immediately, "Now to get to the main reason why I'm here..."

There was a tense moment as the young detective paused, his eyes scanning them, which unnerved the other members of the Arataki Gang.

"And?" Shinobu asked, breaking silence as he refocused his attention on her.

Surprisingly, his expression relaxed, "It's a bit embarrassing to say but might I trouble the Arataki Gang with a bit of a request?"

Requests weren't a strange thing, especially since their gang were the ones that did odd jobs every now and then, but one that came from an officer of the Tenryou Commission was certainly a first.

"Huh!? An officer needing our help?"

"It's gotta be a trap Shinobu, don't trust him!"

"But wouldn't this be great for us? If we help the Tenryou Commission, then that means they won't suspect us all the time!"

Ignoring the trio's comments, Shinobu had already begun thinking up reasons to deny his request. No matter what angle she thought it through, making a request through such an imp because she instinctively knew that whatever request it was going to be, it can only be a troublesome one.

"Apologies, but this is not a request from the Tenryou Commission, but from another organization entirely, one that I've decided to personally involve myself in just this once," Heizou explained calmly.

There it was, the confirmation she needed. Yet, something was still amiss. The fact he was still hiding this other party that the detective was working with didn't inspire confidence within her.

"Has Itto met anyone by the name of Ayato, or is it more accurate to say, Kamisato Ayato, the current head of the Kamisato clan?" the young Doushin asked.

Now Shinobu was the one who was thrown for a loop, because for all the questions that she was preparing for, this was one that she could never expect no matter how long she was given time to think about.

Even more surprisingly, were the reactions of the other three.

"Blue hair?"

"Always smiles, but somehow gives off the feeling like things would be really bad if he didn't?"

"Ain't he the rich guy boss hangs out from time to time?"

Shinobu blinked as she turned towards them, "I'm surprised you three know who he is."

They shrugged, "Course we do. Only the boss doesn't for some reason. We never really told him about it because we got the feeling like our lives would be in danger if we did."

Huh...this train of thought wasn't something she expected from the trio she had known ever since joining the Arataki Gang. Then again, Itto being the only one who didn't know about the identity of the head of the Kamisato clan despite interacting with him more than once wasn't a complete impossibility either given his…unique personality.

On second thought, it was rather in line with what she knew of her boss.

"Ah, so it truly was the head of the Kamisato Clan, as expected. I must say, it would be disastrous for me if it wasn't the case," Heizou spoke like he didn't see this outcome happening despite evidence stating otherwise.

With the current flow of the conversation, Shinobu felt the need to intervene, "Wait, if you know about our boss's relationship with Mr. Ayato, and you could only have gotten this conclusion from talking with him…then that means you have told him about Kamisato's real identity, correct?"

"I could tell you...or I could fill you in only if you decide to take up my request," Heizou said, smiling amicably.

Akira, Gunta and Mamoru didn't know how to respond, so they naturally turned towards her once more, entrusting her to make the decision for them.

"As endearing as that sounds, if you really want us to trust your words then why did you ask about the boss's relation to—no, it's better to be direct, what is your intention?" Shinobu asked, her steel gaze piercing through Heizou.

With all they have talked up until now, Shinobu was no clearer of what went inside the Doushin's mind than at the start of this conversation.

"My intention? Well, let's just say I require a bit of help in holding a meeting with the man. Surely, with the presence of the Arataki Gang, negotiations will become much smoother."

There were way too many unknown factors at play, but she did know one thing…anything that involved the head of Kamisato of all people was far too big for the Arataki Gang to handle.

Thus, there was really only one option to choose, "By regulation, I don't believe we are required to take up your request."

Heizou let out a shrug, "Here I thought your gang liked doing odd jobs...though it's understandable why you're being so wary. Fortunately for me, I just so happen to have the thing to convince you; a certain oni's handwritten letter."

What was presented before them was a crumpled letter, one that seemed to be hastily made judging by the scratches and lines on it. Shinobu's eyebrow rose in suspicion as Heizou handed the letter to her. Once it was in her grasp, she scrutinized the cover before noticing the strangely clean handwriting amidst the sea of scratched lines and marks.

The trio was looking at the letter over her shoulders, and without even reading more than two words of it they had already made a conclusion.

"Yup, definitely the boss."

"No two ways about it."

"If there's one thing about that still doesn't make sense to us even now, is the boss's weirdly neat handwriting."

And wasn't that the truth?

To this day, even she was left astounded when she discovered how good Itto's penmanship was. Regardless, it served as solid proof that this letter was written by the one and only leader of the Arataki Gang.

Now, to get to the content themselves...

Yo Shinobu, how's everything going back there? I bet it's going great with you taking charge. Of course, it's not as great without me I bet! Akira, you better not have backtalked Shinobu like you do with me! Mamoru, find a new location for us to duke it out with our onikabuto by the time I get back! And Genta, I know you're probably a nervous wreck right now but relax and just trust me like you always do. First thing's first, if you're wondering about Goku, then all I have to say is that our newest member is alive and doing great! In fact, he's doing so amazing that me and him are going to duke it out in a bit, though I'm having trouble thinking up of an initiation that's not an onikabuto fight. Well, whatever it will be I'm gonna be teaching him my greatness soon!

So, the other reason why I'm writing this letter is cause Heizou here thought you guys wouldn't take up the job request, but I said "No way, those guys would definitely do it!" I mean, it is the our gang after all, and we take every job with everything we got, but then Heizou said something about him being from the Tenryou Commission would make you guys reject the idea, so I guess I kinda see why he wanted to make me write this. He's cool though, so take up his request like we usually do as the Arataki Gang! Don't really know why he wanted to meet my bud Ayato, but with how serious it looked I thought it must be something important so I said sure thing! Speaking of serious, I oughta tell you guys that I won't be returning to the city just yet, because I got something to do here at Yashiori Island so don't wait for me. In fact, I'll be back before you guys even realize it!

…and that was the end of the letter, or at least what Shinobu was able to discern from its content. As remarkable as Itto's handwriting was, his grammar and sentence structure left a lot to be desired so she had to mentally correct it until it became readable for her own sake. Hopefully, she didn't misunderstand what Itto was trying to convey.

Lifting her eyes from the letter, she was greeted by the sight of the young Doushin smiling ever so knowingly, "So, are you willing to take up my request now?"

All four of them were silent, but even without communicating Shinobu could tell what the others were thinking. She didn't like it, and the conceited yet confident smile he gave off irritating her didn't help in her desire to go against the decision either, but since it was Itto himself requesting it, then they had no choice but to accept whatever request Heizou had in store for them.

Shinobu nodded albeit somewhat slowly, "Very well, Officer Shikanoin. The Arataki Gang will accept your request and do so to the best of our ability."

"Please, just call me Heizou. After all, I'm not here acting as an officer of the Tenryou Commission at the moment, but as a simple civilian giving out a request."

"So...what's the request? I know it has something to do with Mr. Ayato but you still haven't given us any more details than that," Akira questioned, with the other two nodding along.

Indeed, what request warranted the presence of Kamisato Ayato of all people?

"Oh, nothing much. You're just going to help me convince the head of the Kamisato clan to go against one of the foundations of Inazuma itself," Heizou explained casually, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

While Shinobu was willing to admit that Shikanoin Heizou was a friendly yet easygoing person, the way he went about the request was just as irritating as how Itto conducted himself on a daily basis.

His statement just now might have put him on the highest in the rankings of people she thought would give her the worst headaches.

"I swear, that Heizou. He's a cool guy but he sure makes the weirdest request," one Arataki Itto blurted out as he stretched his hands above his head, watching the clouds.

"Hmmm...I guess it wasn't just Heizou, but even Kokomi was acting surprised after you mentioned that Ayato guy," Goku added, agreeing with Itto.

If his memory serves correctly, the name Ayato was mentioned when Kokomi held a small meeting between several individuals, among them being him, Itto, Kazuha, Beidou, Gorou and last but not least, Heizou who had already stated he had no intention of joining the fight.

When they were discussing ways to infiltrate Tenshukaku, Kokomi had disclosed that they had once received subtle help in the form of resources of the Kamisato clan, so there was a chance they could request for their help once more. The only issue was, that the last time the communication came from the Kamisato clan, with no hints nor instructions on how they could contact them back, which meant that the help they provided was probably meant as a one-time deal.

Goku didn't quite understand the whole clan thing that existed within Inazuma, but he understood from the gist of it that the Kamisato Clan wasn't supposed to be helping the Resistance, even if it was through secretive methods.

This all meant the Resistance needed to find a way to send a message to the Kamisato clan in order to enact a plan that Kokomi had been preparing for the final battle.

The moment the head of said clan, Ayato was mentioned, it was Itto who had sprung up from his seat, proclaiming that the name was strangely similar to the Ayato that the oni knew. It was only after that that everyone's demeanour except for him and Itto started to become strange, from questioning the oni about Ayato's appearance to how he conducted himself whenever they met.

After the questioning was over, Kokomi and the others looked amongst one another, with a certain look he couldn't quite place and not long after, Heizou approached Itto with a request to write two letters for the young Doushin.

Both Goku and Itto didn't understand what the point of the request was, even after a week since it had been completed.

Goku never bothered asking Kokomi about it either because he trusted her enough to know that it wasn't something he should concern himself about since his focus should be on Raiden more than anyone else.

Thinking about it again got his fingers twitching at the anticipation.

"I know right!? I get that my bud Ayato is awesome and all but I don't get why Heizou wanted to meet him so badly," Itto then sighed before speaking towards Goku directly, "Yeah well, not like I can ask him about it at this point. By now, he should be talking with Shinobu and the rest of the gang, so I'll just leave the complicated stuff to them."

Goku agreed with the sentiment, "Yup, we just gotta focus on what we have to do."

"You got that right!" Itto said as he stood up, before continuing on, "So, you wanna arm wrestle then Goku?"

"Arm wrestle?" the young martial artist asked quizzically.

"Yeah, arm wrestling. From one muscle to fighting one other muscle. See, with all the stuff that's been happening I kinda forgot about setting up your initiation for joining the Arataki Gang. With no onikabuto for us to battle it out here, I thought arm wrestling would be the next best thing."

Goku didn't really get what an initiation was, but there was no reason for him to refuse the oni either, "Sure, what do we have to do?"

"That's my newest member for ya, always ready to rumble just like me!" Itto cheered before beginning his explanation, "It's pretty easy, we just place our right elbow on the table."

As Itto did so, Goku followed along, mirroring the oni's movement, "Then, we just grab our hands together," Itto continued as he slapped the palm of right hand into hand, accompanied by a loud thud at the impact of flesh.

"Now we just push the other guy's arm down with our elbows stuck to the table, and whoever's hand touches the table first loses. "

Ohh, so it was basically like a competition of strength. Come to think about it, he hadn't tested out the limits of his own strength for some time now. Sure, he trained and fought to the best of his ability, and has put his body to past its maximum more than he could count at this point, but a simple test of pure strength was one that rarely ever showed itself.

It was sort of refreshing in a way.

"Alright, from a count of three..." Itto said, as he began to count down, "One...two…"

Goku readied himself for what was about to come, not quite fully committing yet to get a feel for Itto's strength first, but…

"Three!"

Despite all his preparations, the martial artist was caught off guard by Itto's explosive strength and already, his wrist was feeling the sudden pressure that was pushing him, threatening to twist it unless he fought back. The feeling only lasted for a split second however, as Goku returned the favor by redoubling his effort into his right arm.

"N-not bad, Goku," Itto complimented, his voice strained due to the effort his muscles were exerting.

"Ehehe, you're pretty good too," Goku said genuinely.

The oni gritted his teeth, "Prett-ty good you say? Don't get cocky here, GOOKUUU!"

Like a flip that turned on, Itto's newfound burst of strength allowed the oni to overpower him, turning the tables once more. Instead of withdrawing from the challenge, Goku couldn't help but be excited by the current development. After all, there were few opponents that competed with him in terms of natural strength, so seeing Itto being able to do so brought a strange comfort to him. In fact, he couldn't really tell who was physically stronger if it only came to just their own natural strength.

"Come on, Goku! You got more in you right? Show me your best here, don't hold anything back!" Itto goaded energetically.

Originally, the martial artist had no intention of going truly all out, because to do so meant that he would have to apply the use of ki, something that he believed not many knew how to use in this world. Still, if Itto truly wanted his best…

"Alright, but you asked for it, Itto."

Pouring ki into his right arm, Goku was able to quickly overtake Itto's right arm until he finally regained the advantage back to his favor. Though the oni noticed the apparent boost in strength, he was not only undeterred, but pushed through until veins had begun popping out of his forearm.

Unfortunately for Itto, when Goku decided to boost his strength, he had done so with the intention of raising it to its maximum limit.

In short, the outcome would not change no matter what.

It was only a moment afterward that not only did Itto's arm touch the surface of the table, but his entire body was also flipped upside down due to the direction and momentum of the swing…only to result in the table being smashed into pieces as Goku pushed his arms further downward.

What was left from the impact were splinters, as well as pieces of debris falling from the resulting impact, and a certain oni left lying on the floor with a bent arm.

"AAARRGH!"

A very bent arm.

"You alright Itto?" The martial artist asked innocently.

Itto held a strained expression as he stood up, "Never better man. I gotta admit, you sure gave me a run for my mora there but—"

"Gimme a second."

Without bothering to explain, Goku placed one hand on Itto's right shoulder, and the other on the oni's arm…

A popping sound could be heard as he moved both his hands towards one another.

"YE-wc-tch-Huhh, actually, it kinda feels better—ouch, nope my muscles are still feeling it right now," Ito commented, wincing as he attempted to move his injured arm around.

"Sorry, I don't do it too often so I'm still pretty new to it," Goku said admittedly.

Which was the truth, popping someone's bone back into place wasn't exactly the safest thing to do. The only reason he knew how to even remotely do it relatively safely was because Mr. Popo did it on more than one occasion whenever his body became too injured or even out of shape in a literal sense, especially at the start of his training.

"Hmph, I'm not so petty to say you went too far. What's more important is that your initiation is done, and now you're an official member of the Arataki Gang."

"I thought I was one already before this?" he asked, specifically remembering Itto had been proclaimed as such in the past.

"That was when you were an unofficial official member. Now, I can say you're an official for real member of the Arataki Gang," Itto said, nodding his head sagely.

Itto then pointed a finger towards him, "Now I can say this... let's both do our best, you hear!? You got your goal and I got mine being here so we both better be able to grab what we want being here. It's like... a promise between men, yeah!"

At first, Goku didn't quite understand what the oni meant by his words, but as soon as Itto presented a fist towards Goku, the young martial artist instantly knew the meaning behind it, for it reminded him of a time he did the same with Kuririn at the 22nd Budokai Tenkaichi. The only appropriate response he could give was to reciprocate by doing the same as their fists bump with one another.

"Promises between men, you say...hmm, that certainly takes me back," a man said as he sat down with them, joining in their conversation.

Goku's eyes turned to the sound of the newcomer, as well as Itto who immediately greeted them upon finding out who it was, "Yo Masanori, how's training been going?"

Masanori was someone who Goku was introduced to shortly after the fight with the sword-wielding automaton. He didn't know the full story, just that the man decided to join the Resistance for some reason.

The man merely let out a chuckle, "It took a bit of time but I think a lot of the men from the Resistance are willing to follow my instructions now."

"Is that why those guys have been getting better at swinging their weapons?" Goku commented.

With him tending to train a lot all around the area, it was a given that he had seen their training routine more than just once. From what he saw, they were steadily getting more coordinated and proficient as the days passed.

Masanori nodded, "Indeed. From what I can tell, not many of them have proper experience and training in wielding a sword. So, hammering in the basics have been arduous to say the least...it's really hard to imagine that the Resistance had been able to withstand the Shogun's army for so long with so many inexperienced in the art of combat."

Goku could partially agree with his statement, specifically the one about the soldiers here having little experience with wielding weapons in general, having both seen and experienced it for himself.

On the other hand, it wasn't too hard to believe the Resistance was fighting the Shogun's army to the standstill, given that Kokomi was the one who was overseeing the whole thing.

If it was up to him, then he doubted that they would last more than a day, that was for sure. Even if it did, it would inevitably just lead to him being the only one to fight at the end.

Thinking about it, how long could he last if he were to fight in a battle with no end in sight?

"So, have you found that friend of yours yet?" Itto asked curiously, pulling Goku back to reality.

"Friend?" Goku asked, his eyes blinking in confusion.

"That is— how to say—"Masanori muttered nervously, eyeing Itto for some strange reason.

Noticing, the oni merely let out a chuckle, "Goku? It'll be fine, you can trust him."

He nodded slowly, before beginning his explanation, "...My friend and brother in all but blood, Kenji. Our last encounter had me frightened, yet saddened from his sudden change in behavior, but having thought about it now, I'm absolutely certain he has been affected by the Tatarigami, and I wish to free him from it."

Now that certainly was a delicate situation, "He's affected by that curse huh...it's not gonna be easy to bring him back, you know?"

Having fought two opponents that were inflicted with said curse, Goku instinctively knew that trying to remove something so unstable yet persistent was not going to be an easy task. Once the Tatarigami settled into their body, it was like another source of power had been unearthed, ready to be exploded unto the world. However, it was also this same burst of strength that made the host erratic and aggressive, as seen by both the consecrated beast and the Maguu Kenki right after they were afflicted by the Tatarigami. Now, when the curse was forced upon a human then the effects on their mind was more apparent and noticeable.

Ever since the seal to the Tatarigami had been broken, the curse had claimed more than a few victims, and the atmosphere had become worse as a result. Some have already been placed in confinements, their mind teetering between rationality and insanity, unable to withstand the pain they were enduring.

It was one of the reasons the Kokomi had decided to end the war as quickly as possible, because the more time passed, the more victims would begin to crop up. This was not even accounting for the possibility that the curse might spread further than just the island that it originated from.

So far, the situation hadn't descended into one of hopelessness just yet, but even someone like him could tell that if things were left as they are now, then the worst will occur sooner or later.

"I know, which is why if I am still unable to cure him by the next time we meet I will end him myself just to save him from this cruel fate that he's treading upon," Masanori said as he balled his hand into a fist tightly.

Goku couldn't relate to that desire. After all, if there was one person he could consider as his best friend it would be Kuririn. If Kuririn was the one who was affected by the Tatarigami like Kenji, then the young martial artist wouldn't know what he would do in a situation like that.

Would he even be able to come to such a decision as drastic as ending Kuririn's life in order to save him?

...He had no answer for it.

It was just another reminder that for all his training and journey, there were still a lot of matters that he couldn't simply resolve with just his strength alone.

In contrast, Kokomi who had been forced to make such tough decisions over and over again with such determination made him realise she was a lot stronger than he first thought. Even the attempts she made before, whether it was trying to convince him to join or trying to force him out of the conflict, were all made after meticulous planning and thought put into them.

It didn't suit his style or way of life, but Goku had a realization that it wouldn't be a bad thing to adopt even a fragment of Kokomi's mindset when it came to decision making.

…but only a little.

Itto could only sympathize with the man, "Man, that's rough…but you sure you can bring yourself to do it?"

"Even if he curses me in the afterlife, I will prepare myself for it. As long as he is saved, whether it be alive or dead, then that's fine, even if it's at the cost of my life, I will make sure of it no matter what," Masanori said, his resolution clear for the two of them to see.

They weren't the only ones who saw his resolve, for another person had also arrived at the table they were sitting at, "Then let's ensure that none of it happens then."

Without even turning his head like the others did, Goku greeted the person who had just approached them casually, "Yo, Kazuha!"

"Greetings, Goku, and to you as well, Itto, Masanori," Kazuha said, addressing all of them.

The former soldier of the Shogun's Army merely nodded, while Itto's enthusiastic grin suggested that he was about to greet the young samurai back, Goku beat the oni to the punch as he was the one who spoke next.

"Hehe, guessing from the thing you're holding, it's done then huh?" Goku asked, a grin now adorned on his face.

If one were to take in Kazuha's overall appearance at the moment, then the impression they would immediately arrive at would be that he looked out of place, solely due to the weapon that he held in his hand.

Kazuha nodded calmly, "Yes, with help from the blacksmith here I was able to recreate the Kitain Cross Spear, the weapon once used by a famous warrior of the past. Please, inspect for yourself to see whether or not it is up to your satisfaction, Goku."

After the martial artist accepted the spear into his hands, he looked at its design, from the tip of the spear that was shaped vaguely like a cross to the hilt that was more sturdy than he first realized as he flung it around.

Goku did not stop there, as he proceeded to jump high up into the air, stabbing at nothing but emptiness several times before swinging the weapon around repeatedly, alongside his entire body to create a mini tornado as he descended back towards the ground. Once he landed, he swung it one last time with a good deal of force behind it, creating a pressure of wind around him, which in turn affected the three onlookers who had witnessed the entire scene.

Itto was barely bothered by the gust of wind, merely grinning proudly at what he was seeing. The same could be said for Kazuha as well, whose body merely swayed and followed the motion of the wind like a fish in water. It was only Masanori that found himself barely standing from the sudden intensity, only to be accompanied by sheer relief once the wind died down.

What was left was the figure of Son Goku staring at his new weapon in quiet contemplation.

While he didn't expect it to feel the same as swinging his Nyoibō, Goku didn't realize the differences would be this jarring either. Unlike the Nyoibō which was entirely balanced in terms of the distribution of its weight, the side where the tip of the spear lay currently in his hand made it heavier than the other side, leading to an imbalance in terms of weight.

Of course, if he were to fight regular enemies then this wouldn't be much of an issue but the opponent he had intended to use this spear with was anything but regular. If he were to fight Raiden right now, then even the slightest bit of unfamiliarity would be disastrous, ultimately leading to his defeat in battle.

Before anything else, what he needed to do now was to familiarize himself with this new weapon.

Fortunately, he already had an idea on how to do so, "Hey Kazuha, you mind sparring with me?"

"It would be an honour to do so. Though, I fear I might not be a proper challenge if I am your only sparring partner," Kazuha stated.

Itto pointed to himself, brimming with confidence, "Heh, then wouldn't the great Arataki Itto be perfect to join in? After all, it's the responsibility of a great leader to help his subordinates."

Kazuha softly disagreed, "It would no doubt be eventful if you join, but I believe the recovery of your broken arm should be a higher priority, Itto."

The oni waved it off, "Come o-owch…okay, say if I sit out, and I'm not saying I am, who would be great enough to substitute Arataki 'Numero Uno' Itto?"

Uncharacteristically, Kazuha's only response was to give him a ghost of a smile, one that neither Goku nor Itto had seen before.

"Well well, at the rate this so-called war is going, it might reach an end sooner than I first thought."

It wasn't a naive belief that the one side having stronger justification will win or any nonsense like that. Rather, it was simply because the seal of the Tatarigami had been broken. Thus, either the Resistance perished first due to the curse or they would become desperate enough to attack much more aggressively to end it, resulting in total destruction if he were to guess judging by the strength of the respective armies.

This would be no good. As uninterested as he was in involving himself in the affairs of the land of eternity once more, the objective of Snezhnaya was to prolong the conflict for as long as they could until the gnosis, the item was believed to be in the Raiden Shogun's possession, were to be retrieved.

With the infiltrator in the Resistance gone due to the lack of reports, it was unfortunately up to him of all people to find a way to plant conflict without direct interference. Honestly, this kind of grunt work was beneath him, but he would endure it for as long as it was beneficial to him.

"KkkEEEENJIII!"

The roar was filled not with bestial instinct, but with spite and malice, one that he had an immediate interest in as he walked towards the direction of the voice.

When he reached his destination, what stood before him was a man clad in the typical uniform of the Shogun's Army. What interested him more however, was the dark aura the man was enveloped by. Coupled with the thick aura the man was surrounded by, the vagrant instantly knew that the man had been cursed for far longer than the average person should have at this point in time.

Upon noticing his presence, the man burst into a bout of fury, "YooOou...wheeEre'S MAAAssaaANnNori!?"

Without a hint of reservation, the man quickly rushed towards the vagrant with his sword unsheathed. As the blade descended upon with swiftness unbefitting of the man's stature, the vagrant simply stood still at such aggression towards him...

...and lifted his arm, catching the blade entirely.

Thus, halting the momentum of the swing almost entirely as small trails of electro energy snaked around the vagrant's hand and into his opponent's blade.

Kenji shook both his arms to try and break free from his gasp, but it was to no avail. While there was indeed movement, the vagrant still held onto the blade firmly, his eyes taunting the cursed man, as if daring him to try and challenge his might.

"You have more strength than the average soldier, maybe even comparable to onis or tengus, but you won't be able to achieve anything with power as pathetic as this."

"POwEr?" the man asked, stopping his pointless struggle as he considered the vagrant's word.

Good, the cursed being was actually listening to his words. Despite how long it has passed since he was affected by the Tatarigami, there seemed to be a tiniest bit of consciousness left in the man.

This implied the man was still controllable. It meant the pitiful creature was susceptible to his manipulation. If he were to use this thing as he wished, then inciting chaos would be easier than he first thought.

Releasing his grip on the sword, the vagrant gave a smile to the cursed man, "Now then, tell me what is ailing you, friend? Perhaps a vagrant such as I can be of some help."

If anyone were to have seen the scene, it would not be the curse-riddled soldier that seemed to be the monster. Rather, it was the diminutive vagrant that held such a sinister smile that not even the fiercest of beasts would ever be comparable.

Chapter Text

When Shikanoin Heizou mentioned going to the Kamisato Estate, Shinobu had assumed that their new client had already thought up of a way to find an audience with the head of the Kamisato Clan considering the confidence he was oozing since earlier, but her annoyance couldn't be made clearer when it was proven otherwise when she asked the detective, only for him to simply shrug in a carefree manner, stating that simply approaching the entrance would be more than sufficient.

There were so many things wrong with that statement that she could write down a list of them if the need ever arises, but she held her tongue since the supposed detective was their current client, one that their leader thought would be a good idea for the Arataki Gang to lend their hand to.

When Itto comes back in the future, she was going to grill that oni for every little detail in the thought bubble of his called a brain until he gave an explanation how he came to such a reckless conclusion.

For now, she was going to keep an eye on Heizou as they 'help' him with his request, as well as making sure the other members of the gang didn't get caught up too deep in this matter…or at least more than they already were.

One little mistake could lead the Arataki Gang into a punishment harsher than being simply put into jail for noise pollution.

"Halt! Who are you and what is your business here on the Kamisato Estate?" The guard at the entrance stated upon noticing their presence.

Without an ounce of hesitation, their client simply smiled as he addressed the man, "Of course, I am Shikanoin Heizou, a Doushin of the Tenryou Commission. As for why I'm here, it would be due to an important task I was just given by a superior of mine requiring the presence of Lord Kamisato. If it's not too much trouble, can I request an audience with him?"

"Then you can simply relay the message here, and I will convey it to Lord Kamisato later," the guard said simply.

"Unfortunately, my superior deemed it important enough that it had to be told directly, so it's required for this lowly Doujin to meet with him," Heizou said in an exasperated tone, one Shinobu could tell was slightly exaggerated for the purpose of fooling the guard.

"...what about the riff-raff behind you? I can clearly see they aren't in any way affiliated with the Tenryou Commission, so why are they here with you, officer?" the guard asked, suspicion clearly evident judging by his expression.

The trio beside her squirmed underneath the weight of his glare, while she showed a courtesy of respect by bowing slightly to the man, which made the man relent his scrutinizing eyes as Heizou spoke once more.

"They're with me because I heard that they were acquainted with Lord Kamisato, so I was hoping that their presence would help speed up the process, so to speak."

The guard couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the idea, "Them? As if Lord Kamisato would ever—"

"Let them in, Hirano. I had forgotten to inform you that we would be having a representative coming from the Tenryou Commission coming today, though I certainly did not expect the associates of a friend of mine to accompany him as well," another man chimed in, a tone that anyone would have equated with elegance, yet underneath it lied a tone of authority.

They were few individuals that held such characteristics, but considering the location they were at, Shinobu already knew who this person was without even taking a single glance at them.

There behind the guard stood Kamisato Ayato, the current head of the Kamisato Clan, as well as the commissioner of the Yashiro Commission. His dignified poise as apparent as every other times her eyes had taken a glimpse of his appearance.

In the presence of the head of the Kamisato clan, the guard immediately bowed to the man in a hurry, clearly not expecting his sudden arrival. With a simple gesture from the commissioner himself, the guard quickly went back to his post, leaving them alone with the master of the house.

"How fortunate it is that the head of the Kamisato Clan just so happened to witness what was going on outside his estate," Heizou said cheerfully, proceeding onward as if it was an everyday occurrence.

The Kamisato Head merely smiled in return, "Indeed, if it were any other day, I'm sure we would be unable to meet like this, officer Shikanoin."

A silent stare down transpired between the two of them, something Shinobu quickly picked up on in regards to the hidden meaning that were behind both of their words.

Essentially, they were prodding each other for information, both sides trying to one up another in the conversation.

Well, she wouldn't have that, for she had already experienced that enough already in her past occupation, "Excuse our forwardness, Lord Kamisato…but as my client had entailed, would this be a suitable time for us to have a private meeting with you?"

The man stopped his exchange as he observed her for a moment, "Ah yes…you would be Kuki Shinobu, if I recall correctly. Itto has spoken of you on several occasions, and from the way he described, I can see why he thinks of you so highly."

She seriously needed to hear how the two of them met, because she couldn't see a connection between Itto and Ayato even now that the person in question was in front of her.

The head of the Kamisato Clan then took a glance at the trio behind her, smiling at them without a hint of cautiousness that was present before, of which the three surprisingly reciprocated.

"Very well, I see no reason to reject your request. After all, I too am curious to hear what our Doushin has to say so much that he would so brazenly approach me in broad daylight."

Heizou was undeterred in the face of such blatant suspicion, "Thank you for your time, Lord Kamisato."

"...That is yet to be seen, Officer Shikanoin."

Without any further words to say left, the Kamisato head beckoned them to follow him inside. Despite the forthcoming nature and welcoming words the commissioner of the Yashiro Commission had exhibited, Shinobu still felt a slight chill at the back of her neck, as if the slightest mistake would cost them their necks.

The feeling didn't subside after they entered into the Kamisato Estate.

"Pardon the inquiry, Officer Shikanoin. It would appear that my hearing is off, because I might have mistaken your words earlier. Would you mind repeating what you just told me?" Kamisato Ayato said, his tone even despite the incredulous face he was showing Heizou.

It was the expected response, seeing what he just explained to him was not only incredulous, but borderline fantastical to even fathom to anyone who had lived in Inazuma their entire life. Still, the way the Kamisato head reacted…it did not seem like the man dismissed what he just said either.

"What did you mean when you said the entire Tri-Commission will become unstable in a day's time?" Shinobu cut in, finally deciding to take part in the conversation ever since they had entered the room.

Realizing her forwardness, she quickly bowed towards the commissioner apologetically but Kamisato Ayato extending an open palm as he spoke, "By all means, Miss Shinobu, anyone here is just as much as welcome to join into the conversation, there is no need for pleasantries for the discussion we're having. Besides, I believe we are past that at this point now, haven't we Officer Shikanoin?"

"I heard from a certain rebellious organization that you've once aided them in their efforts, right Lord Kamisato?" Heizou asked, though both Ayato and he knew the answer to the inquiry.

"...what a novel idea, but I'm afraid you have heard wrong, Officer Shikanoin. If I were to have aided them once as you have said, would it not be tantamount to treason in the eyes of the Tri-Commission, even more so with my position in mind?" Ayato replied coolly, not a hint of emotion showing through his neutral mask of expression.

If Heizou didn't have any experience as a detective, then he would have never picked up the meaning behind the man's words, "Is that so, then my deepest apologies for the assumption, Lord Kamisato. It's just that I was hoping that the party that had aided such troublemakers wouldn't mind extending their help once again, or at least… take advantage of the chaos that was about to ensue."

"Take advantage, you say?"

The moment those words were uttered, Heizou could tell from the twitch in his left knuckle that the commissioner's interest was at an all time high, presumably because of the many possibilities that could be conjured up from such a scenario.

Now all he needed to do was—

The young Doushin found his thoughts abruptly interrupted as he realized the sudden pair of eyes that were on him at this moment, their stare so judging that if Shinobu still had her Vision, he felt that he might have been electrocuted from the glare alone.

"Heizou. Explain thoroughly this time, and don't just ignore me and go on like it's normal, got it? With the way you're just waving off details the Arataki Gang wouldn't even be able to lend you a hand for whatever you tried to if you end up imprisoned for these ridiculous statements," Shinobu stated in an authoritative manner, leaving no room for him to doubt that it was a demand rather than a request.

Heizou blinked, actually caught off guard by Shinobu's assertiveness. He had to admit, Itto certainly knew how to pick a good second in command.

"It is exactly as I said, but if I were to elaborate a bit more…the Shogun will be preoccupied by other matters when the time comes. Most of all, she will not be present within the grounds of Tenshukaku as she will be forced to deal with the situation at hand."

The revelation left them all speechless, as even the famed head of the Kamisato Clan had lost his neutral expression as it was now replaced with one of surprise.

Befitting his role as the commissioner, the man quickly reel in his shock as he broke the silence, "It would not be exaggeration to say that none of us here have ever seen the Shogun present herself outside of Tenshukaku. What makes you so sure that this 'disorder' of yours will occur tomorrow?"

"Simple, because when the opposition of Eternity is standing right in front of her, how else would she react? There are many things we don't know about the Archon, even today…but we all know that anything or anyone stands in her pursuit of Eternity will be immediately dealt with the utmost urgency."

Heizou let the words hang over them, without a single word of rebuttal from anyone that was present within the word since they knew that he was correct in his assessment of their Archon.

"But that's insane. If the news of rebels fighting against the enactment of the Vision Hunt Decree couldn't bring the Shogun out, then nothing short of a conflict between Archons themselves would be able to do it."

He didn't disagree with Shinobu's reasoning. Rather, his opinion completely aligned with hers if it weren't for one known factor, "I agree, but there is a certain someone that is now on their side, a person who all of us, barring the commissioner here know the identity of. I'm sure if their return were to be known to the Shogun, then even she would find it a necessity to confront them personally.

"You're talking about Goku right!?"

"He got beat by the Shogun and he still wants a round two? That's almost the boss's level of cool…"

"Guys, don't you remember we're not even supposed to be talking about him in front of Mister Ayato!?"

Out of the Arataki Gang, it was only Shinobu who kept her thoughts to herself, only reacting to the trio's antics with a light slap to her face, clearly exasperated by them exposing the truth so easily.

"This Goku…is he perhaps related to the incident that occurred at Tenshukaku just several weeks ago?"

The way the Kamisato head worded it gave off the impression that he knew of the incident more than just the broad strokes, though not necessarily the finer details that transpired that day.

"Who knows? He might or might not have been the one who faced the Shogun in a battle as well, resulting in the appearance of the Musou no Hitotachi that day," Heizou stated blatantly yet vaguely at the same time.

He found no need to elaborate on the event any more than he had, because the details that were already provided should have more than suffice for the head of the Kamisato Clan to infer a conclusion on his own.

"I see…if this person is as exactly as you say he is. What was your original request to the party that had aided the troublemakers that you were speaking of?"

Heizou smiled, before taking out a simple note and handing it over to the commissioner.

As Ayato received it into his hands, he flipped it around, inspecting it over and over before uttering a question, "A letter?"

Heizou shrugged, acting nonchalant, "Feel free to read it yourself if you want to. As for what I was planning, I was hoping that the related party would help me send this letter to the Shogun…without being noticed of course."

The commissioner obliged wordlessly as he carefully unfolded the letter before reading the content in its entirety.

As the head of the Kamisato Clan continued his reading, Heizou felt the sudden glare that was coming his way once again, only this time Shinobu's eyes were making a promise that ensured he would spill the details later instead of bringing it up now like before.

How frightening, yet reliable in another sense.

"Since you have failed to contact this unknown party, I would suggest you leave this letter in my hands, lest you find being imprisoned a fun pastime you want to indulge in," Ayato advised, having just finished going through the content of the letter.

At a glance, the situation should be absolutely terrible for Heizou. Not only did he fail in fulfilling Sangonomiya's request, but he was also risking a chance of being captured and stripped of his position as an officer of the Tenryou Commission.

Even with all these repercussions hanging over him, Heizou merely nodded with complete composure, "Of course I wouldn't mind. It's much better than the alternative of me being cooped up in a cell room at the Tenryou Commission, so I must thank you for your thoughtfulness and consideration, Lord Kamisato."

Ayato chuckled, "It's only natural, we wouldn't want your colleagues to have a misunderstanding now, do we?"

"Yes, it certainly would be a catastrophe, no doubt. Then, we shall dismiss ourselves since we've already imposed enough of your time as it is, Lord Kamisato," Heizou stated as he stood up, confusing the trio of the Arataki Gang who clearly had no idea what had just transpired.

The head of the Kamisato Clan showed no movement in stopping him. In fact, he seemed rather pleased with the current development.

"Very well. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, I thank you for the information that you've provided, Officer Shikanoin."

Heizou merely bowed slightly at the man in response.

As the others begin to leave the room, with Heizou at the door alongside a still silent Shinobu behind. Kamisato Ayato spoke once more, his eyes directed specifically at the detective.

"If you don't mind indulging my curiosity, Officer Shikanoin. What compelled you to lend a hand to such an ambitious organization?"

Heizou returned Ayato's gaze, his mind going through a myriad of thoughts on the kind of answer he wanted to give, ranging from leaving silently without answering to obfuscating the truth to avoid being implicated more than what had already been told.

…but he changed his mind as soon as he saw Shinobu's expression.

The way she was staring at him told him that not only was she anticipating his answer, but also to reach a conclusion of some kind once he did so…an answer that presumably decided whether or not he could be trusted.

Well, that wouldn't do. If this was his one shot of gaining trust with her, then he supposed there was no need to waste the opportunity.

"What do I gain from this, you say? Hmm…if I were to put it in words, I just simply believe that sins that have been festered over time need to be purged."

"Sin? You mean of those who have done wrong, or are you suggesting that the Tri-Commission itself has been compromised?" Ayato asked as he looked questioningly at the detective.

Heizou shook his head, "I would never dare, but even if they were, those are merely the symptoms. What I'm after are the causes…in order to do that, I would need the Tri-Commission to be in a state of chaos for me to look into its internal affairs. While I am technically helping a rebellious group of people, it only just so happens that their intention aligns with what I'm trying to achieve."

Then the young Doushin nodded to himself, a genuine smile now adorned upon his lips, "That, and the recent friends I made gave me just the push to involve myself in this matter, unlike before. However, if an unknown party were to investigate the internal affairs of the Tenryou Commission along with me, I wouldn't reject the good will either."

It was the honest truth, one that Heizou had never often divulged to others before, which was expected given his work as a detective, especially so considering his recent run in with a Fatui spy, but at the same time, the recent experience with his new associates also taught him that simply idling wouldn't do either.

Really, how could he have forgotten the very reason he received his Vision in the first place?

"...Thank you for the honesty, Officer Shikanoin. Who knows, perhaps what you're hoping for might just happen after all."

Heizou agreed, "I would hope so, having a vision of such a scenario is a nice thought, I'll say."

With that, the door closed, leaving Heizou outside, along with the abnormally quiet Shinobu who had not said a word even now, her eyes indicating that she was mulling over something, most probably of the conversation he just had with the head of the Kamisato Clan.

Truthfully, it wasn't a must-have requirement to receive Kamisato Ayato's help, whether it be in the matter of the delivery of the letter to the Shogun or the investigation into the Tri-Commission, but it certainly increased their chances in causing the future 'disorder' to occur.

"What you said just now… was it all true?" Shinobu said, her voice lower than usual.

Heizou nodded, "It is, Miss Kuki. After all, I don't see the point of hiding my intentions if I were to acquire the commissioner's help. "

"It's Shinobu. If we're going to work together, then courtesy is unneeded, Officer Shikanoin," the deputy leader of the Arataki Gang stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Work together? Whatever do you mean?" Heizou drawled on, acting oblivious.

Shinobu elbowed him lightly in the shoulder, "Knock it off. I already figured it out, you want the Arataki Gang to help you when you're looking into the internal affairs of the Tri-Commission, right?"

Perceptive, and all without him needing to say it outright. No doubt working together would be fruitful once the investigation began.

Heizou let out a chuckle, "Seems you got me. Here I was thinking I wouldn't get my Mora's worth out of this request."

"We haven't talked about the payment yet, something I'm sure we can clear up after the job is done," Shinobu stated.

"It is as you say, Mi-Shinobu. I think it would be quite a pleasure to work together with you, alongside with the other three of the Arataki Gang."

"I'm not. Just what in the world am I getting myself into?" Shinobu said aloud, complaining about the situation she had gotten themselves into.

Heizou could only laugh at the response, before gazing into the sky as they walked towards where the rest of the Arataki Gang members were at.

He had no clue what tomorrow might entail for the land of Eternity, but he could only wish those who were brave enough to face the Shogun luck in their endeavours, in particular to a certain martial artist who was intending to face her head on.

Now, he needed to prepare for his own battle that was about to come.

Sangonomiya Kokomi stood at the front of the crowd that had gathered around the training ground, most of them chattering among one another, some excited at what was going on while a few did not hold much expectation for what was about to ensue. Regardless, they were all her for one singular purpose.

To bear witness to a battle that was most unusual.

What made it unusual was not the venue nor the circumstances behind the battle. Rather, it was the participants that had the members of the Resistance curious, especially the newcomer that they just now was informed and introduced as not only a new member of the Resistance, but also a captain of a newly formed platoon.

Across one end of the field was Son Goku, his demeanour as carefree as ever as he stretched both his arms and legs, a grin accompanying him as he looked towards his opponents with a certain amount of eagerness that only he could exude.

At the other side was Kaedahara Kazuha, the lone samurai who had been travelling along the Alcor led by Captain Beidou ever since the Vision Hunt Decree was enacted. While he was as calm as ever, even a novice like her could tell there was a quiet spirit that was slowly building up as the spar came ever closer, showing that the last heir of the Kaedahara Clan would not underestimate his sparring partner no matter what.

Beside Kazuha was General Gorou, who had been requested by Kazuha to join him in this sparring session the moment their meeting had ended. Considering the topic they had discussed in said meeting, Gorou was naturally curious of her claim as he agreed to Kazuha's request.

Now, the general was stringing his bow steadily, a routine she had seen him done numerous times in the past. The only difference this time was him side-eying Goku, most likely evaluating the martial artist in question…

Which was even more prominent now that she had declared and emphasized Goku's role in the upcoming battle against the Shogun's Army.

The spar that was about to occur was not simply to test out Goku's new weapon that had been made by Kazuha, but also to prove to every member of the Resistance that Goku was indeed their best chance in fighting against the Shogun.

Naturally, the person in question had no clue on proving the second objective, because informing him would be pointless since she could easily tell that Goku didn't care too much about others' perception of him.

Besides, she too was invested in seeing Goku's strength for herself.

Despite recent events that she had experienced, Kokomi had never seen Goku's combat prowess in action, the closest being the technique he showed when she was within his inner world.

Though she had never seen herself as some sort of battle junkie, there was just something in Goku that she wanted to witness for herself…

…Because deep down, she wanted reassurance that the path they were partaking in wasn't the wrong one not only to her and the rest of the Resistance, but to Goku as well.

"You guys ready?" Goku asked rather straightforwardly as he held the Kitain Cross Spear confidently, its tip pointing the middle between both Kazuha and Gorou.

Before the two could give him a response, someone else beat them to the punch, "Hold your horses, Son. I'm supposed to be the one refereeing here!"

Goku blinked in confusion until he turned his head around, seemingly only now taking note of the man that was standing in the middle of the field.

"Sorry sorry, I got a bit excited there," Goku remarked as he scratched the right side of his cheek.

The man merely let out a gruff before holding his right arm up high in the air…

"Begin!"

The moment the words were uttered, Goku had immediately vanished from the spot, leaving clouds of dust in his wake, almost like he had never been there at all.

It didn't apply only to that moment either, as dust quickly began to gather at the location that Gorou and Kazuha were standing on, accompanied by the banging of cold steel against one another.

Despite the excitement that could be had over the ensuing battle, the feeling was dulled, seeing that none of the onlookers were able to see what was going on. Seconds passed, yet the battlefield remained obscured as the dust only continued to thicken further and further as time went on.

Having observed the situation not only on the training ground, but also on the genuine befuddlement that was adorned on each and every one of the members of the Resistance, she decided to at the battle with another point of view…

Specifically, through the lens of one Son Goku.

Kokomi wasn't quite expecting to use this ability so soon again, but given the situation, it was an ideal time and place for her to practice with it once more.

After all, this new link she shared with Goku was crucial in the upcoming battle with the Shogun, as it was needed to get a grasp of Goku's situation at any given moment, whether it be in a winning battle…or a losing one.

So, in a way this sparring session was a form of training for her as well. Kokomi understood that her body couldn't be described as one of a warrior, as she forsook the way of combat by engrossing herself in the world of books instead. While it trained her mind, it did not train her body. Still, now that she had this link with Goku, then the least she could do was train her eyes and concentration, so that it would become second nature to her, so much so that even someone as feeble as her could follow along and understand what was happening in a battle of high intensity.

Thus, Kokomi closed both eyes in quiet silence, as the others continued to cry out in frustration at the battle, with one oni in particular being the most vocal about it.

It wasn't like using her other ability to observe the person wanted to see from afar using merely a puddle of water. Instead, it was completely shifting one's perspective to the eyes of another person.

Or in the only suitable candidate, Goku's eyes.

As the blank scene before her changed into something more describable, her senses were assaulted by the flurry of motion that was happening before her.

In a single second, a number of motions had been executed, ranging between Goku swinging his spear in multiple directions while Kazuha was forced to react by parrying them defensively.

Kokomi tried to recapture the feeling she had when Goku was fighting the Maguu Kenki, and gradually the discomfort began to disappear until she was able to properly see what was going on.

Now that she had somewhat familiarized herself, Kokomi noticed that Gorou, who had been standing a few feet away from the ongoing clash, was pulling the string of his bow, most likely in preparation to shoot Goku in a blindspot while the young martial artist was preoccupied with the samurai.

Her thoughts were proven correct as she saw what came next.

It was like an out of nowhere hurricane as an arrow suddenly appeared right before Goku's eyes, just a mere breath away from hitting him in the forehead, but just as quickly as the arrow appeared, its disappearance from Goku's field of vision was just as comparable.

The speed of which he showcased from his eyes alone was astounding, for in one single move Goku had already moved away from Kazuha and was now in front of Gorou, who only realized his sudden arrival a second later before Goku swung the end of his spear towards his opponent, of which the young general was able to respond in time by holding his bow up to his shoulder as it took the brunt of the hit, flinging him away and into the air.

Like flowing water, Goku did not stop his motion after hitting Gorou, but followed up his swing in a wide arc until it hit a blade that was coming upon him from behind.

Kazuha's grip visibly tightened as the young samurai tried to press forward with the downward slash, but Goku simply negated his attempt with the extended swing, pushing Kazuha away without much trouble.

The pressure that came from such a wide sweep of his weapon caused the dust surrounding them to disperse, exposing them to the darkened sky that continued to cry even now.

Once the dust settled, the onlookers cried out in surprise at what they were seeing, with their general standing on one knee and Kazuha whose expression did not befit the calm yet serene person that had come to know of.

Kokomi did not know what Goku had said next, but she didn't need to as she could tell that whatever he had uttered brought a lot of distraught to those who had been watching the fight from the side.

On the contrary, his two opponents merely responded in kind as they leapt towards him from both sides, their Visions both flaring brightly just as they were about to clash with Goku.

Although Kokomi could not see it from her own perspective, she had a pretty good inkling that Goku was grinning wildly at what he was witnessing at the moment.

Goku moved his body to the side as a sharp wind lightly grazed his left cheek, courtesy of one Kaedahara Kazuha now utilizing his Vision, as well as swinging his sword in a style that reminded Goku of the Shogun's own swordsmanship.

Honestly, it wasn't a complete recreation of it, but having fought Raiden, he could see that the style that Raiden employed served as the foundation, whereby the swordsmanship Kazuha displayed was a branch of it, though one that seemed to be tailor-made for someone of Kazuha's stature.

In response, Goku twirled his spear in a circular motion, doubling the strength of his swing to counteract his opponent's elemental attacks, which proved to be the right decision as he successfully parried each and every one of Kazuha's strikes.

By deflecting the hits from Kazuha, Goku was able to create a wider space between him and Kazuha, who was now finding it harder to pierce through his defense thanks to the length of his spear.

However, all of his efforts were about to be overturned from his opponents' next move.

Goku jumped lightly into the air as an arrow landed on the spot he was on, only for him to be surprised by the sudden eruption that burst out from the ground as chunks of solid came hurtling at him.

With a spin of his spear, the young martial artist redirected the sudden projectile elsewhere…only for his eyes to be greeted by Kazuha, who was already in mid-air with his sword ready to be unsheathed at just a moment's notice.

Having felt the pull of compressed air that emanated from Kazuha's weapon, Goku knew that there would be no point in trying to evade the samurai in a direct conflict, nor would he be able to given the limited options he had in the air.

As Kazuha swung his blade sideways, Goku returned fire with a hard kick to the edge of the blade.

The many onlookers who were able to take a glimpse at the scene believed it was a terrible decision on his part, but was soon proven wrong as Goku's foot had not been splattered in blood at the initial contact, but contending with the anemo infused blade with such ease.

Goku wasn't quite done either, as he turned his focus to the other opponent on the field.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Gorou stared directly towards him from below, his bow and arrow at the ready, with the young general's eyes clearly trained on him as the only target in this fight. In a blink of an eye, the arrow was then fired from his bow, its tip coated in a strange yellowish glow.

Goku didn't know what element it was, but he was more than sure that the shot was similar to one that caused the ground to explode just now.

With one of his legs preoccupied, Gorou probably assumed that he would try to deflect the arrow like he did before, as Goku saw the young general readying another arrow to shoot him with…

Only for him to drop the spear in his hands instead.

It was a move that baffled not only Gorou, but even Kazuha who had seen it all up close, so much so that Kazuha's hold over his blade faltered for a brief moment.

Capitalizing on the chance, Goku swung his other leg immediately, offsetting Kazuha's balance as he was able to successfully push the blade to another direction, alongside the samurai who was holding on to it.

With Kazuha out of the way, Goku spun the unheld spear around with a light kick, before sending a roundhouse kick precisely the moment the spear was positioned right where he wanted it to be, with the tip of the spear at the front.

Needless to say, the Kitain Cross Spear was launched in direct opposition with Gorou's arrow.

When the two projectiles clashed with another in the air, the intensity that was created was so great that both projectiles were momentarily suspended in the air, with neither backing down as a dome of air pressure was created from the resulting impact.

While some wondered which side would win out in the clash, none of it mattered to Goku because he had already achieved what he had set out to do with the maneuver.

After Goku landed back on the ground, both projectiles then slid off one another, with his spear landing neatly beside the spot Gorou was standing, and the arrow flying over his head, having missed its target entirely.

"You guys are pretty good. Man, I gotta say I have no idea how you're able to work together so well," Goku complimented honestly.

Now that he thought about it, Goku had never truly worked together with someone in a fight before until the battle he had with Kazuha against that giant scorpion. Even then, they weren't exactly cooperating instinctively either, seeing that he had needed to instruct Kazuha before they were to coordinate any sort of attack.

Here, Kazuha and Gorou were able to work together almost seamlessly, like they had done this song and dance for so many times already that it had become second nature to them.

It was sort of surprising if he had to be honest, which made him in awe at the two of them.

All this time he had never thought much of it before, but upon seeing the teamwork that was being displayed, Goku couldn't help but be just a tiny envious, wondering if he too would be able to find someone like that one day.

Kazuha, who was back on the ground before Goku was the one who decided to respond, "We thank you for the compliment, but we could say the same for you as well Goku. Truthfully, I had not expected you would be able to escape that difficult position just now."

"Well, you guys didn't give me a lot of choices there," Goku answered simply.

Gorou was the one who stepped forward next, "Indeed…I can see why Her Excellency picked you to be the sole member of our newest unit."

Goku scratched the back of his head in confusion, "She did? Guess I gotta talk to her about that later. All I know is I'm planning on fighting Raiden head on with everything I got."

"But can you win? It would all be pointless if all you did was fight her!" Gorou almost shouted, which caught Goku by surprise.

Despite the sound of the ongoing rain, Goku could hear noise coming from the crowd who was watching the battle, probably agreeing to what Gorou had just said.

To that, he only had one answer.

"Don't know," he replied confidently for all to see.

"Don't know? How could you not know? Her Excellency placed her trust in you for the upcoming battle. The entire plan hinges on whether you're able to defeat the Raiden Shogun in combat!" Gorou yelled out, his emotions bared for all to see.

Rather than elaborating his point, Goku thought of something else instead, "Give me everything you got, then I'll tell ya!"

Gorou gritted his teeth in frustration, while Kazuha was the one among the two of them who was able to calm the young general down with a knowing look.

"If that is what will bring my friend the answer is seeking, then I see no reason why we should not oblige, do you Gorou?" Kazuha said, his question directed towards the young general who was still conflicted about the whole arrangement.

Gorou took a deep breath, before facing Kazuha as well as Goku, "Alright. However, I wish to see you at your full strength as well, Son Goku. Maybe then I'll understand why out of all the people in the world did Her Excellency entrusted you with such a task, despite knowing that you've lost once against the Shogun."

Goku gave no verbal acknowledgement as his body shifted into a more fitting position for battle.

With no further words to share, the battle continued on with Kazuha being the first to make a move.

With a single slash of his blade, a wave of anemo energy swept across the field, before finally swirling in a giant circle around the young samurai, with the droplets of water being absorbed into the gust of wind.

As the gentle swirl of wind continued to linger, Gorou began executing something Goku never thought he would do.

Instead of carefully considering the wind and turbulence that was stirring up the field when shooting his arrows, the young general opted instead to rapidly fire them into the large swirl of wind, with each one being flung and wrapped into its embrace, following its circular motion.

It wasn't just a few that were suddenly flying in a large circle either. At the beginning, there was only one arrow that was flying around, but it took only several seconds after that ten had appeared in the air…and it was only increasing by the second.

Goku didn't know where or how those arrows came to be, but he didn't have time to question it as Kazuha had leapt towards him with renewed determination, his sword once again at the forefront.

Seeing that he was empty-handed, and his lost spear slowly shaking in the ground indicating that it was about to take off due to the large swirl of wind meant that he would be without a weapon.

Well, he had already tested his new weapon enough that it shouldn't hinder him in the upcoming battle, and Gorou did want him to hold nothing back. That's not even considering Kazuha, who looked to be giving it everything he had as well…

Yeah, guess there's no more need to test out the spear any further.

With a twist of both of his wrist, wind beckoned and gathered around them as his right fist swung towards Kazuha's blade, strong winds bouncing off one another at the clash.

The moment did not last, as the wind coming from Goku beckoned to devour Kazuha's as it intensified, to the point Goku was able to overpower Kazuha's swing, causing his blade to be swung sideways due to his own wind being repelled.

Still, it did not deter the young samurai as he continued on with his assault, from horizontal and vertical slashes, to quick and continuous strikes in a single instance to try and throw off his pace. Yet, no matter how skilled or precise the strikes were, Goku was able to foresee them all the same.

There was a consequence of doing so however, as most of his focus had been on Kazuha instead of Gorou. The moment Kazuha abruptly backed away from the fight, only then did Goku figured out what their plan was.

As he looked up to what was going on Goku was honestly impressed. After all, who would have thought that in just the span of a few minutes, hundreds of arrows were now circling about right above them?

However, even with that many arrows present Goku wasn't particularly worried, but the martial artist had a feeling that the two knew this, so what exactly—

Goku's question was answered as Kazuha swung his blade in a wide swing, his Vision flaring once more to command the large swirl of wind to suddenly speed up in its rotation.

Not even after five seconds it had sped up, the wind changed its trajectory as it brought the arrows flying toward him instead.

It was like a torrent of water coming down onto him, threatening to drown him in sheer numbers as nothing but arrows filled his sight.

There was one object that stuck out however, which was that of his spear that had somehow been pulled into Kazuha's wind, now being at the front and center within the storm of arrows.

It was certainly one way of testing out the weapon's effectiveness, that was for sure.

Despite the high number of arrows raining down upon him, Goku had already thought up a countermeasure, that being a blast of pressurized ki coming from his right arm.

Usually, a technique such as this should have worked. As impressive as the quantities of arrows that were being fired at him…there were still just mere arrows, albeit one strengthened by Kazuha's Vision but the martial artist knew that one hit would be enough to disperse a good portion of them.

He would have been right, if not for one small little change that was about to occur.

Following a yellowish glow emanating from Gorou, the tips of each arrow were also alighted with the same hue just moments before the blast coming from Goku came into contact.

The air shook slightly, but the arrows remained steadfast in its trajectory as the pressure coming from the ki attack disappeared into nothingness.

Seeing what just occurred, Goku remained resolute in his approach as he simply let out another blast of ki pressure from his left fist.

"Hah!"

The second shot fared no better, but Goku wasn't done just yet.

In fact, he was only getting started.

Three, four, ten…the shots quickly ramped up as Goku continuously and swiftly punched into the air, his punches creating countless pressurized air blasts.

He had never tried throwing ki around this recklessly before, because it was generally not worth the effort. A single push of his ki from his hands was not stronger than a full on punch with his ki amplifying it, as a technique like this was meant for situations that required a bit of distance between him and his opponent.

Like the situation he was in, because the alternative of punching them straight on wouldn't work as the rest of the arrows would have him head on by the time he knocked out a few of them.

Now, all he needed to do was to simply let loose while at the same time, controlling his ki so that it didn't lose form when it flew into the air.

As a result of the increasing number of shockwaves being sent, the hail of arrows had slowed down considerably in its descent. Now, the two opposing forces were clashing with one another, with only the arrows making slight progress on their target…

Which was exactly what Goku wanted.

The moment his very own spear was but a moment away from stabbing him, Goku pulled back his right arm at that instance, before unleashing a straight punch towards it.

As his punch connected, the accumulated pressure around him exploded, causing everything around the vicinity to be caught in its wake, including all of the arrows that were about to hit their target.

Huge clouds of dust formed as the ground around him burst into pieces, with the martial artist at the one spot where none of the arrows fell on due to the magnitude of the explosion that had shook the air.

With the sounds of explosion continuing as the arrows fell onto the ground, resulting in his opponents being unable to see him clearly due to the dust obscuring his figure, Goku opted for his next move as he grabbed the spear that had landed right beside him.

It was a maneuver that had succeeded once and also failed once on him, but he felt it should work out somehow, despite the conditions here not being the best for it.

With a kick of his feet, Goku began moving forward in a zig-zag pattern, but to anyone looking from the outside, it would have appeared as if he had disappeared, with only the sounds of footsteps being heard, accompanied by the soft drop of rain.

To both Kazuha and Gorou however, they took only but a few seconds to realize what was going on thanks to their enhanced senses.

A fact that Goku was going to use to his own advantage.

Goku stomped at the puddles of water laying around the training ground, leaving them to burst forth like a fountain as he continued moving around the area, which had become more noticeable due to the cracks that had been made from Gorou's attack just now.

Alongside that, Goku had also purposely slowed down just enough for them to be able to see his silhouette for a split second each time he moved from one side to another. It wasn't just the sound of splashing water that was distracting them either, but also the amount of visual noise that filled their eyes, between the droplets of water splashing about and his ever so fleeting figure causing them to second-guess what they were seeing.

Sometimes, having too good of senses was more detrimental than it was beneficial.

"Right here!" Goku yelled out, causing the two to turn towards him instinctively as he reappeared before them.

Goku immediately threw the spear towards them, something the two expected him to do judging from their reactions. The moment both Kazuha and Gorou backed away in opposite directions, Goku capitalized on the chance to speed up his movement.

By the time they had realized what was going on, Goku had already snuck behind Gorou, who was still a few feet off the guard, having just jumped to evade the Kitain Cross Spear.

It was only when the young general had been kicked from the back that Gorou realized what just transpired. At that point however, it was already too late to stop as the young general was forcibly pushed towards Kazuha, who only now noticed having heard the abrupt sound that was heading towards him, but even the samurai wasn't able to evade in time.

As the two crashed onto one another, Goku leapt as fast as his legs could carry them while taking a hold of the flying spear, before jumping once again towards the spot they were about to fall on.

By the time they were about to stand up, Goku was already pointing the spear at them, grinning, "Hehe, guess it's my win then huh?"

Then, something inexplicable occur; his spear was suddenly imbued with anemo energy, something that confused the martial artist seeing that he had no recollection of Kazuha setting up such a thing, but it disappeared just as quickly did it appear, for the anemo energy was then absorbed into the spear, which only further served to confuse Goku.

Seeing the expression on his face, Kazuha merely smile as he begun explaining, "This spear has a unique attribute, that being the ability to absorb a small amount of elemental energy, and considering that it was carried around by my technique earlier, it only made sense that it occur, though I'm not quite sure why the effect only took place afterwards and not immediately."

It was a neat detail that he didn't know, but ultimately Goku couldn't see much use out of it considering he couldn't control elemental energy like other Vision wielders can. He can replicate it using his ki, but ultimately, it was still just his ki that was causing it to happen.

"Also, yes…I concede Goku, the victory is yours," Kazuha stated as he stood up once more.

With Gorou having not said anything of note yet, both him and Kazuha merely stare at the young general, who was presumably in some sort of deep thought given how hard he was concentrating.

Finally noticing the gazes on him, Gorou's ears perked up as he let out an embarrassed cough, "I agree. There's no room for argument that you have indeed won, Son."

"Well, you guys sure didn't make it easy for me," Goku admitted aloud.

"I find that hard to believe seeing that we were unable to hit you directly even once during the spar, or perhaps it was due to my inadequacy as a swordsman that led to this outcome," Kazuha reasoned.

When it looked like Gorou was going to step in to argue against the samurai, Goku was the one who decided to explain, "The way you handle the sword ain't bad Kazuha. Heck, I say it wouldn't lose to Raiden either, that's for sure."

The way the two looked at him in disbelief after saying those words, which Goku didn't understand. After all, it wasn't like he wasn't being truthful on the matter.

"That is too high of a praise, Goku. How could I, a mere vagabond who had fled his country, be able to compare to the almighty Shogun? Even if they were, then how is it that my blade was unable to reach you, no matter what I tried?" Kazuha asked, his voice sounding lost for the first time since Goku met him.

"What you're lacking ain't your swordsmanship Kazuha, it's something else," Goku answered as he crossed both arms across his chest.

"...What would that be, if I may be so bold to ask?"

Goku gave a serious expression, "The weight of your blade is too light."

"Too…light?" Kazuha repeated slowly, processing what he was just told.

"Yup, it felt like you weren't giving your all just now," Goku stated out plainly.

This clearly befuddled Kazuha, "I would have to disagree, because if I were to do anything else other than giving it my everything, then it would be nothing short of making a mockery of your spirit as a fighter."

Goku didn't know about all that stuff, but there was one thing he did know, "Sorry Kazuha, but I don't believe it. It felt more like you were thinking too much about other things when we were fighting just now. If I were to compare the two of you, then Gorou's arrows at the end definitely hit harder than anything you've thrown at me in our fight."

"How could you say that? I know Kazuha, and he's far from what you describe as weak," Gorou spoke up, defending the honour of his friend.

"I ain't saying he's weak. All I'm saying is that he can go way higher than he can right now, that's all."

"Then if you were to compare the weight of my blade against the Shogun's, how would it fare?"
"Kazuha…" Gorou said, worried for the young samurai.

Goku recalled back to the sword that Raiden had pulled out at the end of their battle, humming, "Hmm, if you two go at it, then your sword's definitely breaking at the first hit."

"Of course it would, the Shogun's strength alone would be—"

Gorou was about to continue criticizing, but was cut short as Goku continued, "I'm not talking about physical strength. Of course she beats Kazuha if we compare power, but right now we're just comparing the weight, even then Kazuha still loses."

There was a resounding silence after that, that was until Kazuha broke the unusual atmosphere, "I've never quite asked you Goku, but the Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi, what did it felt like when you were struck by it?"

There was a complicated expression coming from Kazuha, one the martial artist had never seen before, "Kinda empty, if I had to be honest, but at the same time, it was the heaviest attack I've ever experienced in my life, like there was nothing that was going to stop her from giving everything she had into that one hit."

Quiet emptiness was one way to describe Raiden's blade, but there was something else, something that he had not told anyone yet because the strange feeling was fleeting yet distinct, one that he might have simply imagined because he was at death's door.

The only way he would get an answer to that question was to simply fight her again, and at this point, it was an inevitability, not a possibility.

"Then why are you so eager and nonchalant about facing the Shogun then? If everything you said is true, and if you are uncertain of the outcome ...how would I be able to trust someone who will be responsible for all the lives that are going to fight on your behalf? For what, a battle that is all but certain to be lost and spell the end for all of us!?"

Gorou was spilling out his grievances, one that the young general had evidently been holding in ever since Kokomi told them about Goku's role in the upcoming battle.

Despite the outburst, Goku didn't even try to placate Gorou's anger by reassuring the young general that he would no doubt win, or lie that he was just joking around.

He simply elaborated, "Even now, I still don't know whether or not I could beat her. Sure, I've learned a bunch of stuff ever since I got here but I got the feeling she hadn't shown everything to me just yet."

"Then H-Her Excellency made a mistake," Gorou admitted, almost choking down the words as if they were blasphemous to say.

"Maybe, but as I am now, I don't think Raiden can beat me using the same technique again either," Goku stated with absolute certainty.

"Goku, are you telling me that the Musou no Hitotachi would no longer work on you?" Kazuha asked, surprised at the revelation he just gave them.

"Yup, so don't count me out just yet," Goku declared as he gave them both a wide smile.

Despite his proclamation, it was clear even to him that the two weren't entirely convinced yet, even more so for Gorou who had been skeptical of him from the very beginning.

Even so, Goku noticed a subtle change in Gorou's eyes as the general faced him, "...I can't completely put my trust in you, So-Goku, but for now, seeing as you haven't disprove Her Excellency's claim of your strength just yet, you are our best chance against the fight with the Shogun."

Goku merely gave him the widest grin as Gorou looked away, feeling awkward after such a confrontation, with Kazuha at the side looking pleased at the development.

The young samurai wasn't the only one either, as another person walked into the scene, though looking more weary than he remembered.

"Judging from your expression, I gathered you are satisfied now, Gorou?" Kokomi asked, approaching them now that the fight was over.

The panic that was seen on Gorou's face was apparent, "Your Excellency, you must have heard everything, apologies for quest—"

Kokomi shook her head, "It's fine, General Gorou. In fact, I'm rather glad."

One of his ears drooped upon hearing her words, "You are?"

"Yes. If you had simply heed along with my words so thoughtlessly then you're just nothing more than a puppet. A puppet isn't something that I want for a general, or what I'm trying to say is you're already doing well as you are, Gorou," Kokomi said sincerely

"But then—"

Kokomi did not let it end there, "Which is why every one of us needs to be of one mind in the upcoming battle. It is no exaggeration to say whether we win or lose, it will be the final one regardless."

The uncertainty that Gorou showed earlier before slowly dissipated, now replaced with simple acceptance, "...I understand, Your Excellency. I'll do my best to ensure that our next campaign is a successful one."

Kokomi looked towards Kazuha, the latter giving a light chuckle upon noticing, "Indeed, you can count on my aid when the time arrives. It would give me no end of distraught if I were to miss out on the end of this civil war."

Kokomi gave them a thankful nod, before her attention settled on Goku.

"Now then, please excuse the both of us as I have something to discuss with the newest captain of Akai Maou," Kokomi said politely.

Both Kazuha and Gorou agreed without any sort of resistance, leaving Goku the only one not in the know on what was going on. Moreover, he wasn't quite sure on how to feel in regards to the nickname that Kokomi just gave him, given how silly it sounded to him.

All was still within the halls of Tenshukaku, as a lone figure laid still within the many halls that presided the place, unbothered and unchanged of the many happenings that had occurred within the land of Eternity.

Even when the sound of footsteps approached, it was not enough to elicit a response from Raiden, who had deemed it unnecessary once she recognised the identity of her newest visitor.

Just like the disturbance earlier with an unknown entity, she had already accessed the situation and came to the realization that it had no relation with the pursuit of eternity.

Thus, she simply sat there quietly as Guuji Yae came into view.

"No response as always, I see. Here I thought it would be different after the one hundredth visit," Yae voiced out in mock exasperation.

It was precisely one hundred and eight, but she saw no need to correct the miko.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I talk to myself, do you? It would certainly be a nice change of pace to talk to myself without so many eyes on me."

There were many reasons why she shouldn't be here, but again, Raiden saw no need to openly acknowledge her existence.

As long as it didn't interfere with the pursuit of eternity, then everything else was of no consequence.

"You know, I was just thinking today was an excellent day for a walk from my beautiful Narukami Shrine to the musty old halls of Tenshukaku. Color my surprise when I found a small letter placed on the floor just after I entered," Yae said, as she began walking around Raiden.

The Shogun did not know where this was going, nor did she particularly care as her eyes remained unopened.

"Either way, I was curious about the contents. After all, it's not everyday that anyone would dare infiltrate Tenshukaku, risking the wrath of their Archon just to send a simple letter, yet here it is laying around proving otherwise. With such a rare event, one would think it would be a shame if it weren't read, wouldn't you agree?" Yae then shook her head before continuing, "Too bad that whoever sent it forgot to take account of one significant fact; their Raiden Shogun would never take heed of anything that occurs, lest it has to with Eternity, correct?"

She remained unresponsive to Yae's question, as she continued focusing on matters that were truly important.

"Well, would you respond if I were to say that this letter directly interferes with the very thing you've been pursuing?"

Now, this warranted attention.

"Explain, Guuji Yae."

"She speaks, and here I thought you were going to continue acting like a mute," Yae said sarcastically, though the tone was more playful than annoyance.

"I will not repeat myself. No matter what your attempt may be, you will not enter the Plane of Euthymia," Raiden stated, her tone even, yet authoritative at the same time.

"...I know that. As for the letter, it says here that your enemy of Eternity wants a rematch, andto prove that it's them, they're going to be attacking Inazuma City one minute before midnight," she stated plainly.

She held out an open hand, prompting Yae to hand it over, of which the miko obliged, albeit somewhat playfully as she did so in a painfully slow manner.

After scanning the content, it was exactly as what the miko had described.

"So, what will you do about it? Is there really someone out there brave enough to challenge you again after facing you in a battle?" the Guuji asked curiously.

"It matters little whether it's true or otherwise, all who threaten Inazuma must be dealt with immediately."

It was the goal that she had been made for, and even now it held true.

"Of course…of course, then you wouldn't mind if I join in waiting out for this supposed attack, do you? Because you're not the only one who cares about the wellbeing of our nation, after all."

"Do as you please," Raiden stated curtly.

With that, she walked off towards the main door, followed by Yae who followed suit, their lone footsteps reverberating throughout the silent halls of Tenshukaku. The unusual silence that came afterward was foreign coming from Guuji Yae, but she paid no heed of it as there was an objective that she needed to complete at the moment.

As she continued moving onwards, her thoughts wandered to who the enemy of Eternity was referring to, but immediately let those thoughts perish as it was irrelevant even if she had figured it out.

All was for the sake of pursuing Eternity.

"GRAHHH!"

An inhuman growl echoed throughout the night as another tree was snapped in half, the area already littered with others faring no better as a beastly man stood at the center of it all.

A few steps beside him was another person, who had been observing in mild amusement at the man's behavior as he sat on the snapped tree trunk.

"Not bad...friend. It seems you're becoming more and more accustomed to the little trinket I gave you."

What the vagabond had been referring to was the Vision-like object that was now strapped onto Kenji's waist giving out a dull hue of light, similar to that of an actual Vision, but also not at the same time.

Coupled with the Tatarigami still persisting in his body, it was little to no wonder that Kenji's mind had become muddled that he was unable to verbalize his thoughts.

And the vagabond's assumption was correct, as the only response Kenji gave was a simple grunt, before turning into a full on growl with only one name being shouted into the void, "MaaSSsAAnnOOORRRII!

With Kenji in the state he was in, the vagabond knew the cursed man was the perfect agent of chaos that undoubtedly achieved the goal that the Fatui had sought off.

To prolong this conflict for as long as possible so that chaos and disorder can be seeded within the very structure of Inazuma itself. Knowing how uninvolved the Raiden Shogun was, all was going to be as planned.

Given enough time, the probability of them obtaining the Gnosis would be a simple affair. However, the vagabond had other ideas, one that would benefit him more than simply serving for the sake of the Fatui.

For that to happen, he would need a conflict at a level higher than just a meager civil war.

But... the only way to stir things up even more would be the Shogun's involvement, and who would be foolish enough to dare attract her attention on purpose?

Kokomi stood atop of Orobashi's skull, her eyes marveling from the quiet night that had been given to them, as it had always been like that ever since she laid eyes on it. In the land of Eternity, these sort of scenes had not only become a normal occurrence, but a constant, as was envisioned by the Archon herself.

After tonight however, even the Electro Archon herself will be forced to change.

"Was my explanation up until now understandable, Goku?" she said, with the martial artist slowly walking up to her from behind.

"Yup, but I gotta admit, even I couldn't think of something like this Kokomi," Goku admitted, his eyes trailing over the sea and into Inazuma city.

He was right, the strategy they were about to employ would not just brand them as citizens unsatisfied with the current ruling of Inazuma, but definite traitors to the nation itself. Worse yet, the consequences were much bigger on outsiders like Goku or Beidou and the rest of her crew, who would no doubt face harsher punishment if they were to lose this next battle

"Then, are you fine with it? If you go through with this you would no doubt be branded as a villain, a label that might not be reversible no matter what you do in the future."

Unlike before, she didn't ask to deter Goku from involving himself. That was no longer her goal, having already accepted his reasons for it, but what she was really hoping for was for Goku to look at it from another angle.

Perhaps by doing so, he might be able to think of another way to attract the Shogun's attention or figure out another solution altogether, just…something that wasn't as drastic as the one she had thought of.

Even after going through hundreds of plans and scenarios, there was really only one plan that gave them the highest chance of bringing the Shogun out of Tenshukaku.

To her disappointment, Goku was unable to do so either.

"A villain huh? Well, if people wanna see it like that it's fine," Goku stated briefly.

"But people will assume that what you're about to do is an act of evil. Does it truly not bother you?" Kokomi asked once more, a hint of hesitancy in her voice.

Goku shook his head, before giving her a confident look, "Nah, I believe you. From the way you explain it, I don't think there's anything else that can take Raiden out of that place either. So, let's do it, Kokomi!"

This was it. After this moment had gone by there would be no turning back.

Yet, she felt just as determined as he was in this decision, so she took in last breath before letting the words escape from her mouth, "...Signal it then, Goku. The beginning to the end of this war."

With a nod, Goku moved to stand in front of her, his back turned as he cupped both his hands together. Before she could even blink, bluish light began to form between the palm of his hands, becoming ever so brighter under the night sky.

"KAAAA…..MEEEE…."

Their target; Inazuma City.

Chapter Text

In the ever bustling streets of Inazuma City, lies an ever common scenery. From the citizens walking around with tranquility and peace, to the ambitious yet enthusiastic vendors selling their wares in hopes of making it big in life.

Unbeknownst to them all, it was a scene that had already repeated many times already, from the first era to the present one that they have now…but only those who had lived for centuries were aware of this fact. While the present remained ignorant and unknowing of the past, history repeats itself nonetheless.

Yet, it was all undone in the matter of seconds.

A tinge of bluish white began to color the sky, of which none paid attention to even when noticed, their mind believing it to be a simple trick of the eye. After all, they've seen weirder, so what if the sky brightened a bit?

The people of Inazuma were soon forced to pay attention as a booming noise quickly became more prevalent, until the sound burst forth from above, catching all of their eyes as they looked up to see the source of the noise.

What they were greeted by shook them to their core.

It was a blast of energy that seemed so foreign to them, what with the way it fluctuated in all sorts of ways, its size big enough to entirely engulf a person as a whole, and even those who had never once took part in a battle before instinctively knew if they were to be hit by it, they would have been evaporated instantly.

Now, the blast was moving right above them, to a location that none of them have any knowledge of.

And that truly frightened them all for the first time since they had been born under the watchful eye of the Raiden Shogun.

Raiden stood emotionlessly as she stared straight at the incoming blast that was heading towards her location; the uppermost point of Tenshukaku.

Just a few steps behind her was Yae Miko, who while on the outside, remained as nonchalant as ever, it didn't escape her notice that there was a single twitch that adorned her eyes proved otherwise.

Not that she would bother pointing it all out. After all, her focus was on something much more glaring…and destructive.

The moment her eyes laid upon the wave of energy, was the instance that made her immediately know who the source of this attack came from.

Son Goku.

There was no doubt about it, no further deliberations on the identity either. Having fought him head on, she, more than anyone else within Inazuma knew the very last technique he unleashed in their last exchange.

Somehow, he had survived their last encounter but in the grand scheme of things, this small fact was irrelevant. What was more alarming was that he had come out of the Musou no Hitotachi alive, and came to challenge her once more.

This time, by endangering the entirety of Inazuma.

She was not arrogant, nor foolish, for she knew this one blast held enough power to decimate Inazuma off the map. She had personally experienced the technique in its entirety to know that this was nothing but the truth, as the prickling sensation of strength in her arm could attest to that statement.

Now, the only thing that stood between it and the destruction of Inazuma was her.

As lightning began coursing through her body, shining ever so translucently and so strongly it shook the rooftop of Tenshukaku, the sky darkening for a moment as a result of such a course of action.

But just as she was about to pull her blade out, she stopped.

It was not out of defeat, nor a recognition that what she was about to do was pointless. Rather, it was simply because she realized that Goku's technique would not hit her, if at all.

At the very last moment just before it came straight at her, it suddenly swerved to the right. The technique barely singed her hair as it missed her person. Not only did it turn, the direction of the wave went upwards as well, hitting nothing but the air.

It did not end there either, as the Kamehameha shooting upward into the sky, it caused a ripple in the blackened sky she had created, splitting it to reveal the bright sky once more.

She had been wrong in her assessment, the technique that was displayed just now was not an attack.

It was a declaration of war.

"Well, this certainly wasn't what I was expecting when I came to visit today," Yae commented offhandedly, now that the beam of light died out alongside the lightning that simmered down around the Shogun.

"A deliberate provocation. From the beginning, Son Goku had no intention of targeting Inazuma. Rather, his intention was to garner my attention," Raiden stated succinctly.

"Oh, and what makes you so sure that it's this Goku person? Wasn't he the one that forced you into putting the Musou no Hitotachi into action? Wasn't that so-called technique of yours a guaranteed kill?" Yae asked slowly, deliberate on each and every one of her words.

Though Raiden knew Yae was probing, probably due to some scheme of hers, she couldn't care less, "Then I will simply strike him once more, so that nothing more would come out of this."

There was a pause, the miko's expression clearly expressing some sort of deliberation on her part, before deciding to speak once more, "...Are you suggesting that you'll fight him head on? Hmmm, as reckless as I've seen of this Goku so far, I believe the fact he has 'shoot his shot' this way is because he has no desire to come to Tenshukaku again."

"Then I will come to him."

With nothing more to add, she turned her back towards Yae, who was looking at her inquisitively, the miko's eyes mired in surprise at the implication of the words.

The Shogun knew that the miko already had her own plans for what had just occurred, but once again, she would let it be simply because it would not disrupt any of her own goals.

With Yashiori Island now becoming the setting of her sole objective. She would not relent until her objective was complete.

After all, Son Goku's presence alone had proven that such a need was necessary in the pursuit of Eternity.

"We are now on the road of no return…so we must make this a successful one, lest we crumble from front and back. Goku, you've met the Shogun before, how much time do you think we'll have before her arrival?" Kokomi inquired, her eyes still tracking the trail of energy leftover from the Kamehameha.

Her thoughts lingered on his technique for just a bit, comparing the one she saw in his inner world to the one he had just displayed. Though she was no expert, just the sheer difference in intensity had already informed her enough of Goku's current strength.

Even if the Shogun was able to deflect the Kamehameha, she was absolutely certain the city wouldn't have been left unscathed from the aftermath of the impact alone. It was only fortunate that she was able to foresee the Shogun's location at the last few moments so that Goku could change the trajectory of the blast just in time.

Still, what troubled her was not just the Shogun's presence, but also of the individual that had been around the Electro Archon, that being Guuji Yae.

What exactly was the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine doing at Tenshukaku of all places?

Furthermore, she found it improbable that the Guuji Yae just so happened to be in the presence of the Shogun at the exact time Goku had fired off his Kamehameha. No matter how unexplainable it was, it just couldn't be a coincidence.

Alas, she had no time to dwell on the matter for her focus was on elsewhere now that their metaphorical horn of battle had been blown.

Kokomi had already informed the troops beforehand, plans that involved formations and tactics that were going to be implemented in upcoming battles right before her announcement of Goku as the newest captain of the Akai Maou. It was the prime reason why all the members of the Resistance had gathered back at camp earlier, even retrieving those who were posted at Nazuchi Beach, all for the sake of getting everyone on the same page for the primary strategy they were about to utilise.

Of course, the plan would have come to naught if it couldn't be executed.

Depending on how swiftly the Shogun reacts, then the results would either be even or advantageous to them. Yes, even if her primary strategy were to be disrupted at this very moment she was having such thoughts, they would not be in a disadvantageous position even in the worse scenario simply because it was they, the Resistance that initiated the fight, and the Shogun's army are the one who are forced to react to their actions now instead of the other way around.

"Heh, if she's actually serious, then Raiden will be here in just a few minutes," Goku stated casually.

With what Goku had described of the Shogun's battle prowess and with her own knowledge from hearsay, Kokomi didn't doubt the Shogun being able to traverse so quickly wasn't out of the picture, however…

"The fact that there's no indication of such display of speed implies we have time to prepare," or at least, to prepare even more than they already have.

"Yeah. I guess even for a God from another world, she's still someone with a lot of responsibility as a leader huh?" Goku remarked, not so much to her but to himself.

His only frame of reference for gods before coming to this world was Kami, or so that was what Kokomi believed.

Nevertheless, what Goku said just now was correct. If one were to take a glance at the Raiden Shogun, then their impressions would be the no-nonsense type who would rather cut straight to the point than meander about and hesitate about a topic.

This was an accurate assessment, but this was not the entire picture either. After all, how would Inazuma still stand to this day if that was all there was to the Raiden Shogun?

It was precisely why she had exploited this trait to her advantage that she knew the chances that they would be attacked almost instantly was minimal.

The stage was set. Now, they simply needed to continue with this momentum.

"Still, we have to hurry back to camp, a last minute briefing is necessary if we are to emerge victorious in the upcoming conflict."

Unlike Kokomi who acted with such urgency, Goku remained calm, yet carefree, "You head on back then Kokomi, I'm gonna stay here and wait for Raiden, because I know the moment we see each other….we ain't stopping until one of us wins."

To that answer, Kokomi only had one retort.

"Goku, I'm not quite sure if you remember but you were the one who brought me here. As you know, my physical abilities are something that is left to be desired, so please divulge to me how exactly am I supposed to go back so quickly on my own? By the time I arrive back at camp, the Shogun's army could already be upon us, rendering our prior preparations pointless," Kokomi stated with a smile so serene that it even startled Goku out of his reverie.

It wasn't an absolute certainty, but she needed to make a point to Goku, who had always been moving forward without much regard to those who followed him.

If he moved to the sway of his own beat, then she'll just simply make sure that the beat of his heart would be directed towards her from time to time, so that he's reminded of her presence just enough to look back and accompany her.

…This wasn't the sort of thoughts a friend should have, was it?

Ignorant to her inner musing, Goku simply gave her an apologetic smile, "Ehehe, sorry sorry...guess I wasn't thinking too much about it," his expression then switched to one of pure joy, "But can you blame me? I can't help but get excited just thinking about my rematch with Raiden."

This was another trait that was becoming more pronounced as time went on; Goku's battle lust.

On second thought, it would be wrong to describe it as such, because the martial artist didn't derive pleasure from inflicting violence itself, but more so because of his desire to test himself against strong opponents. Rather, it was more accurate to describe it as a drive, or passion for fighting itself.

However, it was a thin line between the two.

She could still recall the image of the Raiden Shogun overlapping with the Maguu Kenki. Though she could not see his expression at the time, the man that was accompanying Goku gave an expression that informed her everything she needed to know.

It was honestly worrying. Not just for himself, but also for the sake of their opposition against the Shogun's Army.

If he was so focused in his fight against the Shogun that he ignored everything else in the vicinity, then he would be a danger not just to the Shogun's Army, but to the Resistance as well.

For now, he could still be pulled back from such fixation, proven by the end of the fight with the mechanical automaton, but it was a risk regardless. No matter how strong Goku was, it would be detrimental if that sort of strength was pointed towards them instead of the Shogun's Army.

But who wasn't a risk on the battlefield?

Whether it be the possibility of insubordination or acting out of stubbornness, there was always a chance of risk that came with it. Her job was to manage and minimize said risk from occurring, which was why she already had a plan in place that took account of Goku's nature.

That, and she believed Goku would prevail over such desires when the time comes.

It was unfitting of someone in her position, but those were her honest thoughts regardless, "It's fine, you can leave the more intricate parts of the plan to me. Please don't worry about anything else and give it your all in your battle with the Raiden Shogun."

For his part, Goku simply gave her a happy grin, "You bet, looks like I'll still be relying on ya, Kokomi!"

"I'll be doing the same with you, Goku," Kokomi said, almost fondly.

"General Kujou, we've just received a report from headquarters!" A soldier yelled out as he ran towards the general, sweat pouring off the man due to the hastened steps the man took to bring said news.

Kujou Sara promptly stopped her preparation of battle plans as she turned to the man, her face showing no trace of emotions at the news, but her inner thoughts indicated otherwise.

This wasn't an everyday occurrence, especially if it came from the mainland. Not since she had taken up the post here as replacement to the previous one had there ever been direct intervention from the Tenryou Commission. Rather, it was the other way around as she had been ever so vigilant in sending reports to what had been occurring on the war front.

"Out with it then," she stated, her voice firm, yet steady in its tone.

"H-her Excellency had deemed it necessary for her to participate in the war efforts, and will be arriving soon in three hours time!" the soldier sputtered out in a hurried voice still.

It took no more than a second to pass before a sea of voices began to drown the camp with fervent discussions on what the meaning behind the report implied, ranging from the excitement and fear over the Shogun's future involvement with the war, to the Shogun noticing and demanding that it was now the perfect time to end it altogether.

Sara, on the hand, had other thoughts on the matter since there was only one thing on her mind.

Why?

It was the one word that became more prominent as she digested the news, because as much as she wanted to admonish her subordinates, she couldn't deny the tiny thought that had been present in the back of her mind ever since the Vision Hunt Decree had been enacted.

The flicker of doubt that flashed through her mind kept drilling it in her head, as if it was slowly trying to break down her resolve little by little.

What if the Shogun deemed them unreliable, hence the reason why Her Excellency sought to come now and aid them to end this civil war?

Sara discarded those thoughts almost immediately. Even if it was the case, she would still do her best and beyond to fulfill whatever command that the Raiden Shogun had given to them. Until Her Excellency deemed her unnecessary, she will continue fulfilling her part in the pursuit of Eternity.

Then, why now?

After what had been dozens of reports sent to the Tenryou Commission, why was it only at this moment in time that the Raiden Shogun deemed it necessary to involve herself in this conflict?

From the myriad of possibilities she could think of, there was one that stuck out to her; the giant beam of blue light that had just flown high up in the air an hour ago.

It was the most likely explanation since the strange sighting had been the most blatant declaration of war she had even seen in her life.

She had internally panicked at the time upon realizing its trajectory, but sighed in relief as it misfired at the last second before colliding with Inazuma City. Having the utmost faith in her Archon, Sara knew that it was Her Excellency who had prevented the destruction of the city.

In other words, the Raiden Shogun's coming was to render judgement on whoever was behind the attack.

From the observation and inference she had made, Sara was confident that the beam of light had come from the Resistance themselves. Thus, this sequence of events were what likely prompted the Raiden Shogun to finally act, perhaps deeming the Resistance an actual threat after they had given such a blatant act of violence.

Or perhaps she had been too presumptuous in her thinking. After all, how could she of all people be able to understand the true intention of the Raiden Shogun?

So, she thought no further of the matter, because all she needed to do was to fulfill her own duty, and right now, it was to prepare for the Shogun's arrival for the incoming battle they were about to have with the Resistance. A battle that seemed to contain the sense of finality, now that their Archon was about to participate in battle with the Shogun's Army.

"There is also another letter addressed to you and only you, General Kujou," the envoy said as he placed a letter onto Sara's hands.

"Who exactly is this from?" Sara asked, having a hard time imagining the sender given the circumstances.

"The clan head, General Kujou."

Her…father, or at least that's what she had always referred to him in her mind. Still, what exactly was so urgent that he would send a message for only her eyes to see?

As she opened the letter, her eyes widened a bit as she read through its content…with one sentence that stuck out to her the most.

Use whatever means necessary to stop the Shogun from ending the war.

There were no in-depth explanations to why and how, simply an order for her to do so, meaning it was not her place to understand the reasoning behind such a command.

Yet, this only served to add more confusion to her thoughts.

She could not disobey an order from the master of the Kujou clan, but the order conflicted with the Shogun's aim. Perhaps there was something she was simply missing, and she hoped the arrival of the Shogun would shed some light on the matter.

For now, she needed to focus on the matter at hand, "Enough, we must prepare ourselves for the arrival of Her Excellency!" She stated sternly, her commanding voice immediately putting the noise to a halt as the men adhered to her command.

In the depths of her heart however, there was a hint of hesitance laced in her voice, something no one was able to pick up on due to the chaotic hecticness of the situation.

She didn't need to think about such pointless things. The fact Her Excellency was coming was the greatest of honour, and she would do her utmost to cater to the Shogun's needs no matter what the costs were.

Yet, that tiny yet irritating thought still persisted even after the inner declaration to herself.

Kamisato Ayato quietly sipped his hot cup of tea, patiently sitting within one of the many rooms that situated at Tenshukaku, a room that he had been present for more times than he would like.

He would know, considering this room was the meeting place between the commissioners of the Tri-Commission.

He, who represented the Yashiro Commission, could not help but reflect that the events that had transpired today had been forceful, in a way that not even he could have predicted.

This no doubt applied to the one that was sitting right across him, perhaps even more, judging from the impatience evident from his mannerisms.

Ayato was, of course, referring to Kujou Takayuki, the commissioner of the Tenryou Commission.

"Tch, where is that damn Shinsuke? It's been hours since the Shogun's declaration to participate at the war front and he still isn't present at our meeting," Takayuki commented in mild irritation.

"Come now, old man Takayuki, surely you know the journey from Ritou would take more than just mere hours. You and I both know that we commissioners aren't exactly in a position where we can simply go wherever we want without going through due processes ourselves," he remarked calmly, taking another sip at his tea.

The man let out an annoyed sigh, "Of course I knew that, Kamisato brat. However, with the circumstances being as chaotic as they are now, it's obvious that we are at a state of emergency at the moment! So, Shinsuke should have done his utmost to arrive by now, yet here we are waiting while the Shogun has already set off for Yashiori Island!"

Since the commissioner of the Kanjou Commission was absent, Ayato took this as an opportunity to prod more information out of the only other person in the room.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this an ideal circumstance considering now that the Shogun has decided to take the matter into her own hands?"

There was a terse silence at his words, but it broke as soon as Takayuki spoke, "...I had almost forgot that you had always advocated for the retraction of the Vision Hunt Decree, but I didn't expect that you wouldn't mind a method as drastic this would suffice for you as well,"

He did, he minded it quite a bit actually. At least, the method of provoking the Shogun so blatantly wasn't a tactic that he was fine with in order to end the Vision Hunt Decree. Honestly, from his own observations of the Resistance, he would never have thought that the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island would take such a bold approach, given the reports of how she commanded the Resistance in the battlefield.

Unbelievable or not, it worked.

The only reason his mind wasn't scrambling under the heap of trouble that was brewing right now was because he was already given a heads-up on the situation, and from the prime instigator no less.

…That, and he was the one that made the order to send the letter to the Shogun that escalated the circumstances.

He didn't agree to help the Resistance out of the goodness of his heart. Though their aim in ending the Vision Hunt Decree were similar, the approach between both he and Sangonomiya Kokomi employed were markedly different.

It was only because this method they had employed was the only way where both parties benefited from it. In essence, they were simply using one another, an arrangement that he was more than fine with.

It was also an opportunity he was not about to let pass by, "It has been more than half a year, and clearly I am always going to be outvoted no matter the appeal. So, what is more effective than the Shogun herself coming to deal with the matter?"

"Hmph, I will give you points on shrewdness, Kamisato brat, but you're still far too green if that's the extent of your ability to think."

"Oh? Enlighten me then, old man Takayuki. How exactly is the current circumstances unfavourable? Or are you perhaps afraid that the Shogun would lose in a battle with the Resistance?'

"Hah, who would have thought there would be a day that the Kamisato brat had jokes! Both you and I here all know the might of the Musou no Hitotachi. One strike of the technique is all that is needed to put that pitiful joke of a force known as the Rebel Army to nothingness," Takayuki stated mockingly, as if the lives that were involved held no meaning to him.

Then, the older man's expression changed to one more…ominous, to say the least.

It was an expression that Ayato had noted many times in the many meetings they have had within the Tri-Commission, but never before had it become so obvious until now.

Hindsight truly changes one's perspective, doesn't it?

"It's simply because…the involvement of the Shogun makes it a bigger deal than it is, no?"

What angle was the older man playing at?

"A reminder that this 'war' has persisted for more than half a year at this point. At this point, I don't believe minor would be a correct description of it," Ayato remarked calmly, yet his eyes stared directly towards Takayuki.

The older man merely let out a low sneer, annoyed by Ayato's insistence on the matter, "And what of it? Does a police case that requires a year of attention and investigation warrant a change in its importance? Perhaps it was simply the fact that it required the exact timespan to solve it. This civil war is also the same case. Sara has only just recently replaced the previous general, and with enough time I'm sure this so-called war will be quelled sooner or later, and without the Shogun's involvement to boot."

As far as he could recall, he had never once heard Takayuki praising General Kujou in any sort of capacity, since he'd rather boast about his other children instead.

The realization made Ayato pity the young general, yet at the same time made him more wary of Takayuki's intention.

"All I'm saying is that with the Shogun's abrupt movement, the citizens of Inazuma are currently in a frenzy, and not the kind that can be easily nip in the bud," Takayuki added.

Ayato nodded, "Indeed, who here can actually say they have witnessed firsthand that the almighty Shogun has ever walked out of the grounds of Tenshukaku?"

None of them.

At least, none that were human. Even then, he doubted the many youkais that exist even to this day have ever since such a scenario.

All except for a certain shrine maiden of course, but he would rather go through the drudgery known as politics than ask her about anything as a personal favour from him.

No, he refused to ever let that woman have one over him.

"Then what is it you hope can be done about the situation then, old man Takayuki? Once the Shogun sets her mind on a matter, no one is able to stop her. So, I'm questioning the need for this meeting among the Tri-Commission?"

"Hmph, I'll get to it when Shinsuke arrives. No point in repeating myself later just to satisfy this curiosity of yours, Kamisato brat."

Ayato made no verbal response, but mentally, he made no reservations that prying information out of the head of the Tenryou Commission was not going to be an easy task. However, he would not be deterred by this.

With the situation being as chaotic as it was now, this was his only chance of finding more information in regard to the events leading up to the implementation of the Vision Hunt Decree. From his own source of intelligence, while the Shogun was the one who enacted it, she only did so after it had been suggested to her.

Who or what organization it was, he had an inkling of them, but he also suspected that they weren't the only ones involved either…meaning the possibility of the Shogunate being compromised was very highly given the circumstances.

If there was one thing he was grateful for out of this situation, was that his younger sibling would be spared any further from the current situation, assuming he roots out the source within the Shogunate.

With the Shogun having made her move, what exactly would be your next course of action, Sangonomiya Kokomi?

Kokomi unconsciously formed a knuckle as another report came in in regards to the movement of the Shogun's Army. Judging by her estimation, the Shogun's Army were set to arrive in about five minutes, meaning that the time for battle encroached ever closer as time ticked on.

She let out a breath, trying to relieve herself from the tension that was brewing in her mind.

Her eyes then surveyed the area below her, having situated at an area of higher ground so that she could observe the ongoings that would occur on the battlefield and direct orders quickly and efficiently.

She had set up the stage for the battle as perfectly as she was able to, in a way that the Shogun's Army had no choice but to walk towards them whether they wanted to or not.

As for the more notable fighters, they have all been placed in an area that was suitable for their skills, as well as placing them with partners that would complement them in battle.

If all goes well, then the majority of the forces of the Shogun's Army should be manageable, but even the best of plans always have the possibility of going awry.

This is not even mentioning…the Shogun.

Just as she thought of the Electro Archon, the atmosphere of the surroundings quickly darkened, putting everyone in the vicinity on high alert. Kokomi, however, was the only one among her group to remain calm, for she already knew who was the cause of this phenomenon.

Lightning of varying sizes and length came down from above, their presence emphasized even more once the sound of thunder accompanied them, making itself heard from all across the island.

In response, many soldiers of the Resistance tensed at the scene before them, as if the end had come for them. Though many have become accustomed to the heavy weather in the many battles they had with the Shogun's army, the current condition was something so intense that none of them quite knew what to make of it. Some stood stunned at the scene, some wore panicked expressions, others trying to put on a brave face for what was in front of their eyes.

In the end, they could do nothing but wait for the judgement that was coming.

Almost like the lightning itself could hear their thoughts, they began converging into one point, high up into the sky, at a place no mere mortal would ever be able to reach.

When a beam of purple lightning came into being, standing ever so brilliant, yet so dreadening to those who stood below it, for one downward swing would tear them all to asunder in one fell swoop.

Yet, in the midst of the storm, there was a figure that had suddenly popped up into view if one were to squint hard, its trajectory going directly towards the source of the call of lightning.

Upon seeing this, Kokomi simply closed her eyes, only to leave a subtle smile, unbeknownst to the members of the Resistance.

Goku struggled to keep his eyes open as the gust of violent winds and erratic storms pushed back against him, but was nonetheless able to keep them open as he got ever closer to his target.

Said target, upon noticing him approaching, quickly switched up their stance as she now eyed him with an intensity that could swallow a person whole if they weren't prepared for it.

She did not speak, nor was there any change in expression.

However, Goku didn't need to see any of that to know that the Musou no Hitotachi being used right at the very beginning was simply to draw him out, meaning she used this technique specifically to deal with him and only him alone.

Considering the last exchange he had with her in their last battle, he couldn't fault her for thinking that he had no way to counter her technique.

While he would like to prove her wrong, he shouldn't waste the one singular opening that he could create by doing so during the first interaction in battle, because in doing so, it wouldn't change the outcome of the battle, while at the same, it would destroy the element of surprise.

No, he could only use that technique in a pivotal moment, and this situation wasn't it.

Thus, the martial artist decided on another route.

Cupping both his hands, a blue ball of light began to condense around his palms as he shifted his body towards Raiden, appearing ready to fire it at any given time.

Noticing Goku's response, Raiden had one of her own in the form of changing the position of her wrist, going from a vertical slash to a horizontal one as it left the least room for Goku to escape if he were to be hit by it.

She wouldn't be wrong in her estimation… if he hadn't improved, that was.

The moment Goku moved his body forward, Raiden swung at the exact same time.

Anticipating the Kamehameha, a blade of light surged forward in a horizontal arc, daring anyone to challenge its might in a direct confrontation.

However, what the martial artist did instead was to spin himself until his eyes were looking at the ground from high up, with both his hands decoupled, splitting the orb of energy into two, now one placed at the palm of both of his hands. Pushing his right hand downwards, a small blast of ki propelled him further up in the sky, just barely dodging the attack as it flew right below him.

The skies parted into two from Raiden's technique, but no matter how impressive it looked from the outside, it had failed to hit its intended target. Goku showed no inclination to marvel at the sight either, for he had already put his second plan of action into motion as he blasted the remaining ball of ki from his left hand upwards, which in turn, rocketed him towards Raiden.

Removing the spear from his back and placing it into the grip of his hand, Goku spun himself once more, akin to that of a small tornado threatening to rip apart everything in its wake.

Yet, even such ferocity was stopped in its tracks once his spear clashed with another slab of metal, that of which was a sword that belonged to his opponent.

Raiden stood wordlessly as she held up her blade defensively. Though she was able to stop his attack, the momentum that was generated from Goku's fall was more than enough to push Raiden downwards as well, causing both of them to head towards the land below them.

As their weapons continued to clash with one another, neither held the advantage or disadvantage over the other.

In the midst of their struggle, Goku only had one thing to say.

"You missed."

Raiden gave no verbal response as the two fell to the ground. Though no words came out of her, Goku knew that she was just as determined as he was in this battle.

Round two had begun.